Silence
by Zemby
Summary: PreLOTR. Legolas and Aragorn go on a ride together...but, as usual, trouble finds them. And this time, one of them will get closer to Death's door than ever...
1. A Troublefree ride! Or is it?

**Hello everybody! And welcome to my first LOTR fic! Alright, before you go and read it, I have to tell you some things…**

**Aragorn is 19 in this fic.**

**Legolas is 2500 in this fic.**

**I wasn't sure about Legolas' age, so if you know the right one or one that sounds…better, I guess, please tell me!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly enough, I don't own Leggy, Aragorn, or any other LOTR character. Though how I wish I did!**

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**Chapter 1 – A Trouble-free Ride! Or is it?**

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Legolas closed his eyes as he felt the soft touch of the wind and the warm rays of the sun on his face. He let out a sigh of content and gently stroked the mane of his majestic white horse, Zephyr, as the said horse drank from the stream that Aragorn and Legolas had found. _It's not everyday we get to go on a little trip without any guards_ Legolas thought with a small smile.

Usually, the elven guards from Rivendell would accompany them, but for once Lord Elrond has let them go by themselves. Legolas' smile widened as he recalled the memory.

_Aragorn stared in disbelief at his foster father. "You're not kidding, ada?"_

_Elrond raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to be?"_

"_Of course not!"_

_Elrond smiled. "Well then, you'd better go and pack, before I regain my mind." Aragorn didn't need to be told twice, and hurriedly ran to his room._

_After his adopted son had gone, Elrond turned to the elf standing next to him. "And I trust that you two will come back less harmed then usual, correct?"_

_Legolas laughed before replying, "I would love to say yes, but trouble just seems to follow us everywhere we go!"_

_Elrond also laughed. "Are you sure that it is not you two that go **looking** for trouble, taking along any guards with you?"_

_At that moment, the twins, Elladan and Elrohir, walked into the room. "So, anyone care to tell us just **why** Estel is as happy as Legolas after he has pulled a prank?" Elladan said, jerking a thumb towards Aragorn's room._

_Legolas gave the older twin a look of mock-anger before saying "Estel and I are going on a ride, with no guards."_

_The twins looked shocked, first at Legolas, then at their father. "Ada, you're letting them?"_

"_Mayhap I am."_

_Elrohir shook his head. "Surely you have lost you're mind!"_

_Elrond shrugged. "Perhaps."_

_Afterwards, Legolas and Aragorn were found in front of Rivendell, packed with supplies, weapons close by, and their horses by their sides. Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir were standing before them, ready to say their farewells._

_The elven lord was the first to speak. "I'm trusting that you will not get into **too** much trouble this time?" Legolas and Aragorn had a reputation of coming back to Rivendell with injuries that need attention._

_Aragorn and Legolas looked at each other and grinned. "We'll try," Aragorn said._

_Elrond sighed. "Ai, I'm getting to old for this…" he murmured, before his two sons gave Legolas and Aragorn each a hug. "You'd better come back you two, or we'll have no one to torture except for ada!" Elladan said._

"_And he's no fun to torture, because he can give punishments!" Elrohir quipped._

"_Right. We'll be sure to come back, in one piece," Legolas promised, holding back a smile._

"_Aye. We shall," Aragorn added._

_Elrond smiled. "I will hold you two to that. Farewell."_

_Aragorn and Legolas waved and said their goodbyes, before mounting on their horses, and riding out into the distance._

Legolas snapped out of his reminiscing as a presence became known to him, along with the sound of footsteps. Immediately recognizing the presence that he felt, he relaxed and turned around, and saw his best friend, the exiled heir of Gondor, Aragorn. Or, he was better known as Estel in Imladris. Trotting along beside him was his magnificent horse, Gale. Walking up to him, he smiled and asked, "Ready to continue?"

Aragorn nodded. "Aye. The horses should be well rested now. We can go on again."

The prince of Mirkwood nodded, and walked over to Zephyr. Stroking her mane, he said, "It is time to continue on, Zephyr."

Unfortunately, Zephyr seemed to think differently. She raised her head out of the water and nickered and shook her head, as if saying, _No! I'm not going anywhere yet!_

Legolas gaped in disbelief as Aragorn burst out laughing. "Valar! I never thought I'd see the day Zephyr would disobey you!"

Zephyr neighed before rearing onto her back two legs, and then stomping her front two hooves into the water, drenching both elf and human in the process.

Gale neighed in what could be guessed as laughter at the spectacle, while now both Legolas and Aragorn were gaping in bewilderment, their now soaked clothes sticking to their skin. Zephyr soon joined Gale in his 'laughter' as the two drenched friends stood there.

Aragorn smiled ruefully and looked at Legolas. "Your horse is as stubborn as you! And just as mischievous!" he said, laughing.

Legolas shot Aragorn a look of mock-anger before grabbing his tunic and pulling the human into the water nearby. Aragorn came up from under the water sputtering, only to get drenched once more by a horse…this time, his own!

Now it was Legolas' turn to laugh. "It looks like Zephyr isn't the only one stubborn and mischievous!"

Aragorn mock-glared at his friend. "You're in for it now, elf!"

Legolas returned the friendly glare. "Do your worst, human!"

And so that was how anybody passing by would've seen them; a human and elf, having a water fight in a stream, while their two horses neighed in laughter on the sidelines, However, nobody passed by, leaving the water fight in peace…somewhat.

After awhile, both human and elf stood in the stream, panting slightly, and soaking wet. Aragorn looked at Legolas. "Well, I guess a change of clothes is necessary…"

Legolas laughed. "Yes, and we might as well set up camp, for it is already too late to start riding again."

At this, the two horses neighed as if in victory, and settled down at a spot not far from the two friends.

The elf smiled as he looked at the horses. "Look Estel, they are being as lazy as you!"

Aragorn looked at the Mirkwood prince. "I am not lazy!"

"Oh yes, you are! You are always the last one to get awake in the morning! Or, should I say, in the afternoon?"

"That's not true."

"You should ask your father."

Aragorn looked at Legolas questionly. "Do I really sleep that late?"

Legolas laughed. "Only sometimes, Estel."

Aragorn sighed and shook his head before going to their packs and getting out supplies for the camp.

Not long after, night fell upon the human and elf, and stars peeked out in the black velvet sky. The waxing moon was clearly visible in the night, giving light to the two friends. They had already changed into extra clothes that they had brought, and had hung the soaked clothes over a nearby tree branch. The fire that they had started crackled merrily as they finished eating their meal and settled down for the night.

Legolas picked up his bow and quiver full of arrows, along with his twin blades. "I'll go ahead and take the first watch Estel." Aragorn nodded, before lying down and falling into a world of dreams.

Legolas stood still for awhile, observing the night. Crickets chirped all around him, and the stars and moon continued to give him light. Looking around, he finally decided on a tree, and climbed about halfway, settling on a thick tree branch and continued to watch the night.

As he gazed into the distance, the elf tried to ignore a feeling in his mind, but couldn't completely. The prince of Mirkwood had a strange feeling that this wasn't going to be such a carefree ride.

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_**Oh my good golly gosh,**_

_**A cliffy! What to do?**_

**_I dunno but I'd be happy_**

_**If you'd all review!**_

**Heheh. :) Like my poem? As it says, please review, as I'd love to know your opinions on my first LOTR fic!**

_**D.D.Z.**_


	2. Race to a Surprising Finish!

**YAY! My story is luved! And I luv you for reviewing! #hugs all reviewers# And this is the first story that I've used this new review reply system! I'm used to putting review replies in the chapters, so this'll take some getting used to. But at least now I can reply to you guys faster...hopefully. :)**

**But I was so happy throughout the weekend because of you guys! I was going to update Sunday, but then I remembered that on both Saturday _and_ Sunday I had to go play in a chamber group at Texas State! Ai, I wish I hadn't forgotten. But I got to sit down for 7 hours each day and play chamber music! Fun, but _very_ tiring. When I got home, I was going to finish typing this chapter, but my arms were so tired! Then Monday I had my piano lesson, Tuesday I had my violin lesson, and then Wednesday I got a high fever when I got home from church and couldn't think straight! So I finished it today in the evening! Finally! Thankies for waiting, and I'm sorry if some parts are confusing or weird, 'cause I think I was a bit delusional during the last half of the chapter. Oops, I started rambling, didn't I? Sorry!**

**But quickly, I'd like to thank Rabid Angel for help on the age. 30 it is! Legolas is now 30! Or maybe in elven years, that'd be 3000? Who knows.**

**And to Deana, I'm glad you like my poem, I'm obsessed with them right now! Combine a poetry unit at school with boredom and a fever and then throw in some randomness, and you got yourself a poem like this!-**

_**Chalkboards**_

_**A chalkboard must lead a boring life,  
always working and can't go on strike,  
And after being written on all day,  
how they must wish for the teacher to just go away!**_

**Yeah…okay…anyways…**

**Let's see…what troubles will find the two friends this time?...**

**So, without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

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**Chapter 2 – Race to a Surprising Finish!**

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A lean figure sat against a tree, looking out into the distance. It was early in the morning, with the sun just halfway over the horizon. The sky was a beautiful mixture of colors, and birds were chirping a merry song. He smiled and got up, walking over to his companion.

Time to move on!

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Elrond stood silently on his balcony, looking out into the garden. In the garden, his twin sons were letting out two small snakes into the bushes. The elven lord sighed and propped his elbows on the railing of the balcony, rubbing at his temples. _Ai! It has only been a day since Estel and Legolas have left, and yet my sons are already wreaking havoc!_

Just this morning, Elladan and Elrohir had put live baby snakes in their father's bed, causing the elven lord to start the day off…a bit less than happy. Sure, the snakes weren't poisonous, but that didn't make Elrond's temper any better.

"What in the name of Elbereth were you thinking, putting snakes in my bed?" Elrond had shouted, holding the two snakes in his right hand.

However, no answers had come from his son's mouths, only laughter as they had clutched their stomachs in mirth.

"Why would you do such a thing? What were you thinking?" Elrond scolded as he continued his lecture, tightening his fists as he had done so.

"Ada, you're hurting the snakes worse than us!" Elladan had said through his mirth.

Elrond had looked at his hand, only to find two snakes furiously working for release out of his tightening hand.

The elven lord had then mumbled a few oaths under his breath, running his left hand through his hair and wondering how much of it had gone grey _this_ time because of his son's pranks.

Elrond couldn't hide a small chuckle at the memory, and looked down at his sons. His keen eyes watched them intently, making sure that they didn't pick up any more 'friends.' The elven lord started to laugh once more, but soon stopped and looked out into the distance, a slight frown on his face. He had a feeling that something was amiss…but he wasn't sure what.

_I hope Estel and Legolas are well. May the sun and stars watch over them._

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Aragorn watched as Legolas tried to coax Zephyr to continue on. Camp had already been broken and everything packed-they were just waiting for Legolas' horse, who seemed to not want to go on. He tried to keep a straight face as the golden-haired elf offered his horse an apple, only for Zephyr to eat it without moving an inch!

"Zephyr!" Legolas gently admonished, wondering just what had gotten into her. "We don't even have that many apples left!"

His beautiful white horse looked at him and snorted as if saying _All the more reason to go back!_

Legolas sighed and shook his head. "Ai Elbereth! I do not know what has gotten into you Zephyr!"

Aragorn grinned as he tried to hide his mirth. "I was right Legolas! Your stubbornness has finally rubbed of on her!"

The elf sent a mock-glare at his friend. But inside he was worried. Did Zephyr have the same strange feeling as he did? Legolas pondered this, wondering if it was true. _But we haven't even really left the realm of Rivendell. Foul creatures wouldn't dare come in…right?_ But despite this reasoning, he still wasn't sure. He stopped glaring at his friend, and turned back to his horse.

"Okay, we'll go on for just a little longer, and then we'll turn back. Okay?" he asked, feeling a bit silly for having to compromise with his own horse. "And we'll have even more apples there." he added as an afterthought, a slight grin on his face. _I know that Zephyr loves apples!_

After a brief pause, Zephyr finally snorted and dipped her head slightly, showing that she agreed, mayhap a bit reluctantly though. She turned a little, finally letting Legolas mount her.

Aragorn threw his arms in the air in mock-impatience. "Finally, we can go!"

Legolas looked sideways at the human. "Well, if you're so impatient, how about a…_little_ race?"

Aragorn grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."

The elf scanned the scenery across the stream, his keen eyes landing on a opening in the trees beyond the body of water. "We'll race across the river, and the first one past the opening in the trees over there will win!"

The human squinted hard, straining his eyes to see the distance that the elf's could. He frowned slightly in agitation as he said, "That is not fair, I cannot see where the opening even is!"

Legolas laughed. "Do not worry Estel, for it is straight ahead! Okay, let's get ready." He positioned Zephyr in front of the stream, as Aragorn did the same with Gale. Both horses eyed each other challengingly, already psyched for the race. Legolas cleared his throat before announcing, "Now, on the count of three. One…two…thr-"

But his counting was cut short as the two horses neighed and reared onto their back two legs, before charging forward into the stream, spraying water on each side of them. Both elf and human yelped in surprise, caught unaware of their excited horses. As they continued to storm through the stream, their hooves soon found hard dry ground once more, and Aragorn could now clearly see the opening in the trees that Legolas was talking about. Determined not to lose, he urged Gale to go faster, pulling slightly ahead of Zephyr. Angry, Zephyr snorted as she pulled ahead of Gale. The two horses continued to dash toward the 'finish line,' neck and neck. As the horses neared the end at break-neck speed, Legolas couldn't get rid of the feeling of excitement. How the wind felt on his face! His hair billowed out behind him like a banner, as Zephyr and Gale crossed the 'finish line,' a sure photo finish. Unfortunately…they didn't have a camera.

Aragorn whooped as Gale slowed to a stop. "Ha! See, elf? Gale far surpasses Zephyr in the field of racing!"

Legolas shot him an indignant look as he said, "As if, human! Zephyr clearly won that race!"

The two sat on their mounts, glaring at each other, before bursting out laughing. It felt excellent, being able to race like that without any guards shouting for them to slow down.

As they finally started to stop laughing, Aragorn looked at Legolas, an amused expression on his face. "And to think, we were dry not more than a couple of minutes ago!"

True, as both Legolas and Aragorn were wet once more. The spray from the water had dampened their clothes yet again. Legolas sighed before saying, "Yes, the irony of it all. Well, at least this time, I don't think we need to change."

"Aye, we'll be fine."

At this, the golden-haired elf gave Aragorn his own amused look as the human grinned back. _Since when have we ever returned to Rivendell fine?_

Suddenly, both horses stopped their slow and carefree pace as they nickered and neighed in agitation. Startled, Legolas and Aragorn pulled at the reins of their respective horses, murmuring soft words of comfort. When Zephyr and Gale finally calmed down, the two friends got off and looked around. Legolas glanced at Aragorn, as Aragorn glanced back, both thinking the same thing as their hands subconsciously went toward their weapons. _What has spooked the horses so?_

They both walked a little bit away from their mounts, and looked around. Aragorn could smell something among the air, but it was too faint to recognize. Legolas smelled it too, and walked farther away, toward the smell. He stopped dead in his tracks when he finally recognized the smell. And his heart froze at what he saw.

The smell was blood. And there, only a few yards away, lay the body of a Rivendell elf guard….

…a _dead_ Rivendell elf guard.

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_**Here you are, on a cliffy once more,  
And this is one from the evil Mordor,  
I have three projects right now, and they're all such a bore,  
But if you all review, I'll return with Leggy once more!**_

**:) There you are, another little poem! I _am_ obsessed with them right now…Once again, I'm sorry if some parts sound weird or confusing, if you tell me, I'll try and come back and revise it when this blasted fever is gone!**


	3. Trapped!

**Yay! I'm back! Sorry for the wait minna-san! (btw, 'minna-san' means everyone in Japanese) I finally got rid of the fever on Monday or Tuesday! I almost suffered a relapse, but thankfully I didn't! Now I'm back to normal! But just what is 'normal?' #laughs#**

**Yeah, well, I was going to update Saturday, but I overlooked one thing: parents. They didn't give me a lot of computer time at all! So I'm sorry 'bout that minna-san. BUT, I did finally organize this kind of system for updating; I write it throughout the week at school, mostly during lunch and Criminal Justice (I don't even know why I'm taking that class), and then when it's done or almost done, I'll type it! Maybe that'll work.**

**And a big thanks goes to Sivaroobini Lupin-Black for pointing out one of my mistakes in the last chapter. I always go back and kinda 'revise' or reread the chapter, but because I had a fever, I think I only made some parts worse! Sorry! Elrond is now using…proper elvish grammar:)**

**And of course, the chapterly poem…this one comes from a mixture of boredom, randomness…and I guess content? #confused look#**

_**Some of the best fajitas,  
come from Mamacitas,  
they're better than papas fritas,  
some of the best money can getcha!**_

**Wow, that sounds more like an advertisement than a poem…btw, 'papas fritas' means French fries in Spanish. And if you don't know what Mamacitas is, it's a Mexican restaurant. Also, if you want me to do a silly little poem about anything at all, just ask in a review.**

**And so, without further ado (unless of course, you skipped my author's note and went straight to the story), here's the next chapter!**

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**Chapter 3 – Trapped!**

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Legolas rushed forward, calling for Aragorn as he neared the still body…Legolas' heart wept as he knelt beside the corpse.

The golden-haired elf cringed as he looked at the wounds covering the dead elf's body. The elf guard lay face-down on the ground, and there was a deep gash on his stomach, so deep it most likely cut or scraped some of his ribs, as well as cuts on his arms and bruises on his face. But the thing that caught Legolas' attention was the arrow protruding from his back…a black arrow.

Legolas' eyes widened.

_Orcs did this._

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Aragorn jumped slightly when he heard his name shouted. He instantly turned around and ran toward his friend, hearing the urgent note in his voice…along with…_Fear? Or shock? What could shock Legolas to make him sound like so?_

As soon as he saw Legolas, he wished he had never thought the question. The human gasped softly as he saw the dead elf guard, along with the cuts and bruises that were all over the body, as well as the black arrow. A puddle of blood was growing slowly from the deep gash on his stomach. "Valar…"

Legolas had already sensed Aragon's presence, but did not turn. He placed a hand on top of the guard's head, saying a quiet prayer. When he heard the sharp gasp, he opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the black arrow once more. A bright fire sparked to life deep inside of him. _How dare orcs enter Imladris! I'll slay every last one of them for this crime!_

The Mirkwood prince abruptly stood up, already prepared to hunt the orcs. However, his crusade was stopped before it began when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Legolas turned slightly and saw Aragorn, his eyes full of sorrow from this painful discovery.

Aragorn's eyes met Legolas' silver ones, and he said softly, "Calm yourself my friend. Before you go after any orcs, we should give this valiant guard a proper burial."

Legolas averted his eyes, ashamed for acting so brashly. "Yes, for from the look of it, he has fought bravely. He deserves a proper burial." After saying this, the elf shifted slightly. "But first…something has been bothering me." At this, Aragorn tightened his grip on his friend's shoulder slightly, encouraging him to continue.

Legolas sighed and looked at the dead elf. "It's the guard. He doesn't look like he has passed for more than hour. So why didn't I sense his presence? Or the orcs? Were they too far?" Legolas sighed once more and closed his eyes. "This is unusual, and I have so many questions, and no answers."

Aragorn gazed sympathetically at his friend. "I fear we may not discover the answers you desire soon. Let us do what we can now, and then find the orcs that did this." Aragon paused, and a trace of a smile appeared on his face. "But if the orcs' numbers are too great, then we _will_ head back to Rivendell, and gather help there. We will _not_ be reckless and get ourselves captured or killed, and leave Rivendell open to a possible attack."

Legolas opened his eyes, and looked at the human, a small smile on his face. "Very well Estel, we will go by your…terms. Although I must say it is unusual for you to think like this."

The future king shot him a look of mock-anger. "What are you trying to say, elf?"

Legolas shot back the same look. "Exactly what I said, human."

They both chuckled a little after glaring at each other, but their 'game' didn't seem to have the same life to it as it did before. They stooped down to move the guard's body off of the trail, when Aragorn suddenly stiffened. "Wait, Legolas!"

Legolas froze automatically, his hand mere inches from the dead guard's body. He turned his head toward Aragorn, looking at him curiously.

The human responded by pointing at the arrow. "Look, there is poison. However, this does not look like any poison I have ever seen or read about." His eyes widened suddenly, and he looked at Legolas. "You didn't get any on you when you were praying, did you?"

Legolas blinked, and then looked at his hands. Studying them closely, he found no traces of the new poison. "No, none is on me."

Aragorn sighed in relief, and then turned his gaze back to the poison. "I am also surprised that you did not notice it first with your keen eyesight. Is your mine elsewhere?"

Legolas remained silent for a moment, debating whether he should tell his friend of his strange feeling or not. Ever since they had discovered the fallen Rivendell guard, the feeling was becoming more and more prominent. Now he had two choices: tell Aragorn, or don't tell Aragorn. Reluctantly, he chose the first option, deciding to push his pride aside for once.

Finalizing his decision, Legolas looked sideways at Aragorn and started. "Well…" he hesitated once more before plunging on, " Ever since last night, I have had a strange feeling…as if something was amiss." Now the elf looked away from Aragorn, suddenly finding the ground extremely interesting. "If only I had followed the feeling, I might have been able to help…" he finished, berating himself for not looking around.

Aragorn narrowed his eyes slightly. "Legolas, do not blame yourself. There was no way you could have known that this was going to happen. You cannot blame yourself for this." Legolas continued to stare at the ground, his eyes distant.

Aragorn sighed, before looking back at the body. "I am going to look at the poison a little more, and then we will bury the guard."

Legolas finally showed signs of life again, and took a deep breath. "I will go make sure the horses are okay."

Glad that Legolas seemed to be okay for now, Aragorn nodded and looked intently at the poison. It looked gooey, and was black with spots of purple here and there. _No…nothing I have ever read or seen has looked like this...have the orcs come up with a new poison?_

Legolas walked up to Zephyr and Gale. His brilliant white horse neighed and stomped the ground in agitation; she didn't like this place at all. Gale didn't look to happy either, tossing his head and snorting in displeasure.

Calmly, the golden-haired elf stroked Zephyr's mane. Whispering soothing words, he gathered the reins of Zephyr and Gale, and led them to a small clearing in the forest, not to far from the trail. Looking at his horse and Aragorn's, he said, "Do not worry, we will not stay long here. We will go as soon as the guard is buried. Do not stray from here." Zephyr and Gale both snorted, as if saying _We'd better not stay here long!_ Giving a weak smile at their reactions, Legolas headed back and found Aragorn in the same spot, still analyzing the unknown poison. Deciding to give him a little more time, Legolas looked around the dirt trail.

His elven eyes gazed at the direction the elf seemed to come from. Legolas glanced at the ground, and seemed for the first time to notice the guard's trail. From a couple of yards away, the tracks looked as if the guard was running – then the tracks lead to a cluster of them, as if he started to stumble…finally leading to where he was now. Then a thought struck Legolas. His eyes widened and his heart seemed to stop.

_Where are the rest of the guards?_

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Aragorn sighed and stood up, feeling as if only looking at the poison was hurting. He turned to look for Legolas, only to find him staring wide-eyed at the direction where the guard had come from. Worried that Legolas was seeing something he could not, he rushed towards him. "Legolas? What is wrong my friend?"

Legolas turned toward Aragorn, a distressed look on his face. "The tracks. There is only one set; where are the others?"

Finally understanding, Aragorn gasped. Taking a quick glace at the tracks from the guard, he saw what Legolas had. But before he could do anything, a movement to his right caught his eye.

"Legolas! Wait!"

But it was too late. Legolas was already sprinting down the trail of footprints. He could hear Aragorn running after him, before a horrible stench came upon him. He gagged, slowing to a stop. The smell was horrible…but it only took him a moment to recognize it. _That is the smell of dead orcs…_

He plunged on, but then stopped cold. Time itself seemed to freeze. He heard Aragorn slow to a stop beside him. "Oh Valar…"

They were facing a huge clearing in the woods…a clearing that was filled with the rotting corpses of orcs…and the dead bodies of the rest of the guards.

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A sneer appeared on his twisted face. He growled deep in his throat, wanting to taste the elf's blood now…and to kill the human. Others shifted restlessly beside and around him. He growled louder, quickly telling them to shut up. His gaze then fell back onto the two friends. Oh, how he would be rewarded…

_Just a little longer…_

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He felt like he couldn't breathe. Not just because of the decaying orcs, but of the sight before him. The rest of the guards were mixed in with the orcs, all forever still. Dozens of orcs lay around them, beheaded or slain. Legolas felt his eyes water slightly. _All this destruction…_

He began to walk into the old battlefield, scrowling in disgust at the orcs. When he neared a guard's body, he knelt down beside him. Making sure there was no poison near, he put a hand to his forehead and sent him a quiet prayer. Legolas continued to do this to other guards, as Aragorn did the same to others on the opposite side of the clearing. Aragorn stood up after saying a prayer to guard, when something caught his eye. He gasped, shock overwhelming him. "Legolas!"

Legolas stiffened, sensing the fear in his friend's voice. Already prepared for an enemy, he quickly whirled around and ran toward Aragorn. But, after getting closer to him, he saw no enemies…although Aragorn looked like he had just seen one. "What is it Estel?"

Shaking his head, it looked like Aragorn has too numb with shock to speak. He pointed at tracks near the clearing…tracks that were leading away from the battle scene. Legolas didn't need to take a closer look; already he could see what it was that worried him.

The tracks that were leading away from the battle scene…they were too heavy for an elf's. They were orc tracks. Legolas whirled around, already pulling out his bow and notching an arrow to it as Aragorn unsheathed his sword. Pointing the deadly arrow into the forest trees he shouted,

"Orcs! They come!"

They had been trapped.

- - - - - - - -

Elrond walked calmly through the lush garden of Rivendell, although the expression on his face did not portray what he was feeling in the inside. _Still this strange feeling plagues me...as well as my worry of Estel and Legolas._ Shaking his head slightly, he jerked a little when a sound from a bush startled him. Shooting a quick glance at it, he saw the tip of a garter snake's tail before it disappeared beneath the bush. _Ai Elbereth…don't tell me my own sons have made me warry of walking in my own garden!_

Suddenly, a dark feeling hit him. He gasped slightly at the unexpected sensation, but immediately knew what it was. The elven lord couldn't stop himself from automatically looking in the direction in which Estel and Legolas had gone. He didn't want to believe it, although he knew what this could mean already.

Legolas and Estel had found trouble again.

- - - - - - - -

Legolas was shooting arrows into the forest, and was being rewarded by cries of orcs, while Aragorn slayed any orcs that drew near. Soon Legolas ran out of arrows, and pulled out his twin knives. He went head-on into a clump of orcs, becoming a deadly blur as he began to fell all of the orcs around him. A little bit away from him, Aragorn was beheading orcs left and right, stabbing one in the stomach as he ducked below a swing from a club. Straightening back up, he started to move again, but not before a vicious orc seemingly came out of nowhere and swung his club. Aragorn grunted in pain as he felt pain exploding in his left arm, which now hung limply at his side. Quickly beheading the orc, he stole a glance toward Legolas to see how he faired.

From Aragorn's point of view, Legolas appeared fine – but he couldn't see the deep gash on Legolas' left leg, almost to where you could see bone; he had received the wound as he was fighting - one of the orcs that he thought he had slayed was still alive. The orc had grabbed a nearby dagger, and cruelly slashed Legolas' left leg with what strength he had left. A twisted smile appeared on its face before Legolas bent down and stabbed it in its black heart. The wound was bleeding profusely now, but Legolas ignored it and continued to slay orcs, although occasionally he would stumble slightly. As he felled the last orc near him, he heard more coming from just outside the clearing. His heart sank. _More? There are _more_ of them!_ But as he glanced quickly at Aragorn, he could've sworn his heart just sank further – just a little bit farther from the warrior was an orc archer, fitting a deadly black arrow to his crossbow. Aragorn, too caught up in fending for his life with only one arm, had taken no notice to the threat. Once more ignoring his wound, he ran towards Aragorn, slaying orcs as they came near him. However, too many orcs came at once, and he had to stop running in order to defeat them all. Panicking, he did only what he could think of –

"ESTEL! BEHIND YOU!"

Beheading one of the last orcs around him, Aragorn took a quick glance behind him – sure enough, there was the orc archer, it's face curling into a vicious look as it aimed for Aragorn's heart. Aragorn's eyes widened, and he tried to move out of the archer's line of fire. But it was to no avail – the archer finally locked onto his target, and released the arrow…

Aragorn's eyes widened as he was pushed to the side…and then heard a soft 'thump.' He turned around as his heart seemed to stop.

"LEGOLAS!"

-

-

-

_**He he! I hear screams!  
Oh, how could I be so mean?  
and Alas, what of Legolas?  
Did he die?  
Or did he survive?  
Reviews will help,  
and time will tell!**_

**Oh, I'm sooo evil, so very evil.**


	4. Aftermath

**Whew, sorry it took longer than usual for this chapter! -.-;;**

**Thursday one of my mom's ribs popped out of place, and I was watching over her a lot. So I didn't have a lot of time to type anything. But now she's better, and I typed this up real quick! Sorry, since I'm in a rush, there's no silly little poem here at the beginning, but there's the usual at the end.**

**Oh! And I got death threats! My first ever! I'm not sure whether to feel scared or honored! Maybe both! An angry mob and an army of evil hamsters! And…a good 'ol death threat! Wow!**

**To iheartequines – Yup. I'm evil. But here's the next chapter!**

**To siriusblackfan2 – Evil cliffys keep you awake at night. #laughs# I'm super glad you enjoyed it, and I hope to make fewer spelling mistakes in the future.**

**To brokenwind – What happens to poor Leggy? Well, read on mellon-nin, read on.**

**And to ****Sivaroobini Lupin-Black**** – Hm? Who ever said I was following the storyline? Mwuahahahaha!**

**-**

**-**

**-**

**Chapter 4 - Aftermath**

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Time seemed to freeze as Aragorn watched Legolas fall to his knees, gasping air in big gulps. _Why? Why would Legolas do that?_ The human shook his head in disbelief, not wishing to see the sight before him...but there was no denying it. Legolas had done what he had done. He couldn't change that. Taking a deep breath, he finally turned his head toward the elf…only to gasp in dismay.

There, along where the arrow was, was not only blood, but something else…

…the same black and purple substance as before.

- - - - - - - - - - 

Legolas fell to his knees, his breathing already becoming haggard. _Will it end…like this? Will I go no further?_ Before he could think of anything else, a horribly loud pounding filled his head…and the area around the arrow was burning with intense pain. The elf shut his eyes in pain as it throbbed painfully. Suddenly, the gash on his leg was all the more noticeable. He could feel blood pouring from the arrow wound…but…_This doesn't all feel like blood…why does the wound feel sticky?_

Before he could do anything else, conscience left him fleetingly, and he fell face forward on the ground, off into a deep oblivion.

- - - - - - - - - - 

Aragorn's eyes widened as he witnessed Legolas collapse on the ground. His body started to shake in overwhelming fury as he clenched his sword tightly. He glared hotly at the jeering and cheering orcs around him. With a yell of outrage, he stabbed the one nearest him in the stomach, before knocking him into his comrades behind him, making them fall down into a cursing pile. The rest of the orcs instantly stopped jeering and started cursing and shouting at Aragorn. The human did nothing except stand his ground and sending the orcs a look that could kill them all.

All at once they attacked him, yelling and taunting. Burning with enough fury and rage for ten men, he attacked fiercely, beheading and slaying any orcs that got near him. Dark blood covered the already bloodied forest floor, as well as Aragorn, who seemed to ignore all of the blood covering him, whether it was his or his enemies. Before long, he noticed with a grim expression the orc archer once again loading his crossbow with an arrow…once again tipped with the new poison. Thinking quickly as the archer started to aim at him, he stabbed an orc in the stomach, before moving it into the line of fire. The orc howled in agony as the arrow plunged into his back, spilling dark blood onto the ground. Aragorn then viciously removed his sword from the dying orc, twirling around and slashing a coming orc across the throat. The orc gurgled as dark blood bubbled from his open throat, falling dead to the forest floor a few seconds, twitching until it died.

Aragorn growled in wrath at the sight of an orc reaching down to drag Legolas away by his golden hair. But the orc's hand never made it to the elf's hair. The orc screamed in pain and surprise as his hand was suddenly separated from the rest of his arm, but abruptly stopped as his head was cut cleanly from his shoulders, spilling dark blood everywhere, including on Aragorn. He breathing heavily, he suddenly gasped as pain assaulted him. He gritted his teeth in pain as he looked at his forgotten broken arm. _How did I forget about that?_ he thought dryly. Without warning, the sound of a heavy boot stepping on the ground made him turn around swiftly. He was met with the sight of the last orc around…the orc archer. The orcs face twisted into a victorious sneer as he lifted his crossbow.

"No orcs or friends to hide behind now human," he growled in a triumphant tone.

- - - - - - - - - - 

Elrond rushed around the realm of Imladris, searching everywhere for the commander of his army, Lithendel. He was not in the gardens, the stables, or with any other of the elves that he found around Imladris. All of a sudden, he stopped, slapping himself on the forehead and muttering a small curse. _Where else would Lithendel be then his favorite place besides the garden, the training grounds? Ai Elbereth, I am so worried that I am not thinking clearly!_

Turning towards the training grounds, he rushed along the corridor he was in and out into the open. Instantly he could hear the sound of clashing swords, and saw the elf he was looking for.

The elf in question was observing the spar, watching as the two rookie elves stumbled and slashed, each making their own mistakes as well as dazzling strikes. Lithendel nodded in approval as one elf parried a blow to his right side as he stumbled. Hearing hurried footsteps behind him, he turned around, only to find a distressed-looking elf lord slowing down to a walk as he neared him. Quickly ridding himself of the look of fear he had, Lithendel walked up to meet Elrond.

"Good morning my lord," he greeted as he bowed. "What brings you here?"

Getting straight to the point, Elrond said, "Lithendel, I need for you to start a search patrol."

Startled slightly by this abnormal request, the commander faltered albeit before saying, "A search patrol? What for my lord?"

"Estel and Legolas have left on a ride, but I fear that they are in trouble…mayhap with orcs. And I am sure that they have not even left the realm."

Gasping in surprise, Lithendel stared in disbelief as a hundred thoughts ran through his mind. _Orcs! Inside of the realm! Why have I not sensed anything? And why have I heard nothing of this from the patrols!_

Stopping the onslaught of questions, he shook his head slightly before looking back at his lord. "My lord, we will do anything we can to bring back Estel and Legolas. I will form a search patrol right now, and head out as soon as it is ready."

Elrond quietly sighed in relief as he heard the promise. "Thank you Lithendel. I hope for your and your patrols safety, as well as Estel's and Legolas'."

Lithendel bowed deeply. "You have my word my lord."

- - - - - - - - - - 

Aragorn was caught in a standstill as both he and the orc archer traded glares of equal hatred. The orc was right on one thing; there were no more orcs that he could use as a shield. If he were to try and pick on up to use as one, the orc archer could shoot him long before he would succeed. There was only one technique that he could think of that would save him…although he had never done it before. The chances of it even succeeding were even slim to none. But, thinking of nothing else, he gripped his sword all the tighter, and once again started to ignore the growing pain in his arm.

Sneering viciously, the orc made sure of his target, before firing…

…and in one fluid and confident move, Aragorn deflected the arrow with his sword and then dashed into the opening, stabbing the orc in the stomach as it's face twisted in shock, before falling dead to the ground.

Panting heavily, weariness finally overtook Aragorn as he slowly walked over to the prone figure of Legolas before falling to his knees. Automatically his hand moved towards the elf's neck, checking for a pulse. He sighed in relief when he found one, even though it was slow. At least it was steady…for now. He grimaced as he once again noticed the arrow protruding from his right arm. _Thank the Valar it didn't hit his heart._ Aragorn thought in relief. _Although this doesn't look good either. The poison from before was on the arrow, and we still do not know what it does. The only way for me to find out would be for Legolas to wake up…but I'm not sure when that will happen. But we must move. We cannot stay here, lest even more orcs come. This is not a safe place to treat Legolas' wounds._

Sighing, Aragorn made of move to pick up Legolas…before his arm screamed in pain, causing him to stop and rethink his actions. _This isn't a good place to look over my own wound either. Wait…the horses…_he looked toward the path the two friends had taken into the clearing they were in now. He was reluctant to leave Legolas here…but it would have to do for at least a few minutes or so. Wishing to make this as quick as possible, Aragorn took off his cloak with his right hand and draped it over Legolas, making sure that it hid him from any wondering eyes.

Quickly getting up, he took one more quick glance at Legolas before running off in the direction from whence they had come. But then, as he neared the place where the dead elf guard was, he realized that he didn't know where the horses were. He took a deep breath and listened as hard as he could. He knew his ears and senses were nowhere near the elve's, but he tried nevertheless. Deeming it safe as far as he could tell, Aragorn risked a quick whistle, praying that the horses would come, and that no orcs would.

Minutes passed by…precious minutes that could cost Legolas his life. Almost ready to go back and carry Legolas himself, Aragorn started to move when he heard the sound of hooves against the ground. Hope quickly flaring back to life, he turned around quickly, and was met with the welcome sight of Zephyr and Gale. Aragorn walked up to the horses, glad to see that no orcs had found them.

"Come Zephyr and Gale, we must hurry back to Legolas," Aragorn said, stroking their necks.

Zephyr shook her head and snorted, and then lightly bumped Aragorn in the chest with her head, as if saying _I knew this would happen!_

Giving the magnificent white horse a small smile, he grabbed the reins of her and Gale and hurriedly led them back to the battle site. However, just as they were nearing their destination, Gale and Zephyr stopped and neighed, not wanting to go any further. Aragorn automatically soothed the horses with calm words, while stroking their manes. Gradually the horses calmed down, but still seemed albeit reluctant to go into the battle site.

Carefully winding his way through the bodies of orcs and elf guards, Aragorn went toward the place where he had left Legolas. Relief swept through him as he found the cloak unmoved, and knelt down, removing the cloak from on top of Legolas, and draped it over his own shoulder. Suddenly something nudged him on his good arm, and he looked up. Zephyr was looking between the human and her master, and then kneeled down next to Aragorn. Aragorn nodded his thanks, fatigue finally gripping him. He took a deep breath before sliding his right arm under Legolas and lifting him up as gently as he could, careful not to move the arrow or touch any place near it. After nearly dropping Legolas two times, he succeeded in getting the injured elf atop of Zephyr's back.

Aragorn leaned against Zephyr for a moment, exhaustion overwhelming him. _No…this is not the place for rest. I must see to Legolas' wounds…_After resting for a brief moment, Aragorn slid himself atop of Zephyr. Zephyr straitened to her full height, while Aragorn took the cloak off of his shoulder and wrapped Legolas as best he could in it. Nudging Zephyr slightly, he signaled her to start moving. Aware of her master's condition, the white horse started in a slow walk. While passing Gale, Aragorn reached over and grabbed his reins, and Gale went at the same pace as Zephyr, walking right by her side. Aragorn was hardly aware of himself weaving a path through the field of bodies, focusing on Legolas, who was starting to shift restlessly in his sleep, his forehead already burning with a fever.

"Shh mellon-nin, it will not be long until I will be able to tend to your wounds." Aragorn whispered.

In response, Legolas moaned in his sleep, but settled down slightly, the soothing words calming him slightly.

Behind Aragorn, Gale nickered softly, as if saying _You really should've listened._ Zephyr seemed to nicker in agreement.

Aragorn sighed and rolled his eyes tiredly, feeling silly to be chastened by his own horse, as well as Legolas'.

-

-

-

_**Hm, not much dialogue there,**_

_**oh, but do beware!**_

_**Next chapter, there's angst!**_

**_Yup, starring two of our favorite protagonists!_**

**I guess that sums up a nice preview for the next chapter, ne?**HoHHHoverlasdf;lkjsdflkjadflkjadl;fjal;dfkj


	5. OW!

**Oops. Another long wait! Sorry! #hides from angry readers#**

**Well, I was busy this weekend. I had to finish my Biology project! And guess what? I did! My last project is finally done! YAY!**

**Unfortunately, I don't think you'll get a quick update this week either. I have a big violin AND piano competition, and I'm going to be busy all week practicing my butt and fingers off. Wish me luck!**

**To brokenwind – okay, okay! I've updated! And you did misspell 'desperate.' What I typed should be right.**

**My violin group preformed at a town meeting today, and cameras were flashing like crazy! It's only natural that I came up with this poem!-**

_**Cameras**_

_**Lights and light, oh! so many lights,  
**__**All of them are in my sight,  
**__**Filling my vision,  
**__**and leavin' me wishin',  
**__**that they would all turn their flash off!**_

**And here's another one for any Harry Potter fans out there-**

_**Harry Potter, the boy with the scar,  
**__**along with his friends, is going so far,  
**__**Learning spells,  
**__**and making new tales,  
**__**while breaking every rule in the book!**_

**And guess what? You get an extra-long chapter this time! YAY!**

**-**

**-**

**-**

**Chapter 5 – OW!**

**-**

**-**

**-**

The thick silence of the forest was broken only by the sound of the hooves of Zephyr and Gale clopping on the ground, and of Legolas' moans of distress as his fever raged higher. Aragorn's injured arm lay across Legolas' body, while the other held the reins on Zephyr tightly. The human kept chancing glances over his shoulder, trying to assure himself that no orcs were following their small party.

After a few minutes, Aragorn's eyes were met with the sight of the dead guard once again, and a pang of guilt went through him as he slowed to a stop next to the guard. _We never buried him…and I don't think we can right now. Legolas has been poisoned, and I have a broken arm. Not to mention all of the other elf guards that are at the battle site…_Aragorn sighed, staring guiltily at the guard.

"I am sorry, for we cannot bury you right now." he said quietly. "I promise to bury you soon though, as soon as this mess is dealt with."

Zephyr felt her master move around more on her back, and heard more moans of distress. She nickered quietly, trying to signal to Aragorn that her master was still in trouble.

Aragorn started slightly, before turning back to Legolas, noticing his flushed face. "Forgive me mellon-nin. Just a little longer until I can treat your wound."

Before giving Zephyr and Gale the signal to leave, Aragorn looked once more at the guard, and then behind him at where the rest of the guards lay. He closed his eyes in a quick prayer, hoping that soon they could be given a proper burial. Then he opened his eyes, and nudged Zephyr slightly with his legs. Zephyr snorted as she went back into her slow walk, Gale right beside her.

_Please hold on Legolas. I hope that this poison is not lethal..._

- - - - - - - - - -

Pain.

That was the first thing that Legolas became aware of as he slowly regained consciousness. White-hot pain shot up and down his right arm, while the gash on his leg throbbed painfully with each jerk.

_Wait…jerk?_

Legolas' fever-ridden mind mulled over this, thinking of where he was. _I'm…in the air? Floating? No…I'm on top something…_Subconsciously, his fingers felt the mane of Zephyr. _A…horse? Zephyr?_

Finally coming to the conclusion that he was on top of Zephyr, he focused another question; _Where is Aragorn?_

This question he had a feeling he couldn't answer without opening his eyes. He groaned in frustration as this proved harder than he thought; his eyes felt like they weighted a ton!

Hearing his groan, Aragorn glanced down at Legolas. "Legolas? Are you awake mellon-nin?"

Legolas sighed as he finally succeeded at opening his eyes, even if it was only half-way. "Estel?" he croaked in a quiet voice, realizing that his throat was dry.

Aragorn audibly sighed in relief when he saw Legolas open his eyes. "Yes, it is I. How do you feel?" _Ai, what a stupid question! He's been poisoned and he has a fever!_

Looking away, Legolas whispered, "Fine."

Aragorn snorted, clearly not even beginning to believe what Legolas answered with. "Sometimes you are just too stubborn Legolas." Zephyr snorted as if in agreement.

The human laughed at this. "See? Even your own horse agrees that you're stubborn!"

Legolas slightly turned his head, looking at the side of his horse's head. "Zephyr." he gently admonished.

The mare neighed softly while turning he head away, as if she was saying, _Well, it's true._

The elf once again groaned in frustration as Aragorn continued to chuckle. After he finished, his face suddenly turned serious as he asked, "But please be honest Legolas. How do you really feel?"

Legolas sighed as he closed his eyes, wincing at the pain in his arm as it continued to shoot pain through his arm. "My arm is in pain, and something tells me I have a fever."

Aragorn looked sadly at his friend. "Well, I'm not surprised that your arm is hurting. You were shot with an arrow; why wouldn't it? As for your fever…well…"he shifted slightly before saying, "I suspect that that may be from the poison."

The golden-haired elf blinked as he heard this. _So it was poison that I felt before I lost consciousness? But…is it the poison that we had found on the guard?_ Legolas braced himself before asking, "Is it the poison that we have discovered recently?"

The human looked away, not wanting to meet Legolas' slightly fearful silver eyes. "Yes, mellon-nin, it is."

Legolas closed his eyes in distress as he heard this. _Of course it is! Why wouldn't it be? It's just my luck that this ride is suddenly turned into this! And I had to drag Estel into this too!_ His eyes snapped open at this. "Estel, after I was shot with the arrow, what happened?"

Aragorn knew that this question would come eventually. He closed his eyes briefly before telling Legolas, "After that, I slayed the rest of the orcs."

Legolas looked at Aragorn, new respect for his friend filling him. _Estel slay the rest of the orcs, and there were at least a dozen or so left, as well as that blasted archer of theirs! Truly he is becoming more of a warrior every day, and he will be worthy of the title King of Gondor when his time comes._

But before Legolas could say anything, the gash on his leg suddenly burned and throbbed with a vengeance as Zephyr went over a particularly rough part of the trail, and he gasped in surprise and pain. "Legolas!" Aragorn shouted as he once again halted Zephyr and Gale.

Legolas breathed through gritted teeth as he tried to will the pain to go away. _Ai Elbereth! This is just not my day!_

Aragorn nervously glance over his shoulder once more, making sure that no orcs were in sight. Once he assured himself of this, he turned back toward Legolas who was starting to breathe normally again as the pain slowly ebbed away. "Mellon-nin, are you alright!"

"Aye." Legolas answered through still-gritted teeth.

Aragorn shook his head. _Why do I keep on asking that question?_ He sighed as he thought over what options he had. _I can stop here and tend to Legolas' and my own wounds, but I need to make sure there is plenty of water to get rid of Legolas' fever. The stream is only minutes away, but it is too much in the open! Ai! I do not know what to do! Please somebody help!_

Out of the blue, as if answering his prayer, a wind picked up, calming Aragorn as it washed over him. There was something soothing about the wind as it swirled around the pair, almost as if it was healing them on the spot. Legolas suddenly stopped gritting his teeth in pain, and sighed in content as the soft wind swept over him. Soft words were cooed to him by the wind, and he looked at Aragorn. "Estel?"

Aragorn opened his eyes, not even releasing that he had closed them. "Yes, Legolas?"

"The wind says that the trees are offering to provide shelter for us for the night, or as long as we need."

Aragorn smiled in gratitude at the air around them, and at the trees. "Thank you."

The trees rustled their leaves in the wind in reply, and then some of the trees looked like they were bending inward slightly, revealing a hidden path in the forest. Legolas smiled as sleep started to claim him once more. "Hannon le."

- - - - - - - - - -

Lithendel walked up to his hurriedly formed search patrol, making sure that they were ready. His white stallion, Gailim, was right beside him, standing tall with pride as Lithendel mounted him. He was about to give the signal to leave when he suddenly heard two voices…two very identical voices…

"Lithendel! Hey! Wait!"

Lithendel turned around, Gailim snorting in annoyance. There, on their own two horses, were Elladan and Elrohir, looking relieved to find that the commander had not left yet.

Commander Lithendel looked at the twins, noticing that they had their weapons, as well as packs. "I suppose that you want to come with the patrol?"

"Of course!" Elladan answered.

"And we're leaving right now, right?" Elrohir quipped.

Lithendel nodded. "We were just about to leave."

Suddenly, a loud voice was heard, carried on by a slight wind that was passing through. "ELLADAN! ELROHIR!"

Elrohir gulped. "I for one think we should get going right now."

Lithendel held back the laughter he felt, only allowing a small smile and a raised eyebrow to show. "And am I correct to assume that this may be for more than one reason."

Elladan smiled sheepishly. "Maybe."

Shaking his head, Commander Lithendel gave the signal to his patrol, and started Gailim towards the direction that Aragorn and Legolas had left in. As they were nearing the forest, he looked at the twins and asked, "What happened this time?"

Elladan shrugged. "Nothing much…just the fact that we raided the kitchen and our father's herb stock."

Elrohir nodded his head. "It's for a good cause though; with Legolas and Estel, you always have to come prepared!"

Lithendel shook his head. "You know that I won't be able to protect you from any punishment he will give you, right?"

The older twin sighed. "Yes, unfortunately. We're in for quite a tongue-lashing when we get back Elrohir."

"See? I told you ada is no fun to torture!" Elrohir grumbled.

- - - - - - - - - -

Aragorn gasped as he looked around the hidden clearing the trees had led them to. It was big enough for the two horses and two friends, with room to spare. And if that weren't enough, there was a stream running through the clearing. _This may be the stream from before. It might of turned farther along where we had camped, and then turned into here._ Relieved that he could finally treat Legolas' wounds, as well as his fever, Aragorn rode Zephyr near a tree, and then carefully dismounted after Zephyr kneeled closer to the ground. He gently slid off of Zephyr, mindful of Legolas and his injuries, as well as his own. Next, he turned around, and put his good arm around Legolas, carefully avoiding the arrow wound, and started to slide him off of his horse's back.

Legolas was starting to regain consciousness again, and as his wounded leg bumped against Zephyr's back, he couldn't hold back cry of agony.

Startled, Aragorn stumbled slightly, while Zephyr neighed in surprise, jerking Legolas' leg even more. Legolas gave another cry, and Aragorn tried to steady himself and Legolas, only to land hard on the ground on his back, with Legolas on top of him. Zephyr was calming down, and lowered her head slightly, gazing apologetically at Legolas.

Aragorn quickly regained his senses, and tried to get up into a sitting position. But suddenly he was met with a fresh wave of pain as he moved his broken arm. _Ai, that fall only hurt it more! I really should try and put it into a sling or something…But Legolas needs treatment first._ He steadied his breathing first, for the pain had been agonizing. As soon as he was breathing normally again, his eyes widened. _Why hasn't Legolas moved?_

Hastily, he felt for a pulse, worry washing over him as he found it fast and erratic. "Legolas! Calm down mellon-nin!"

Legolas hardly seemed to hear him, his face scrunched in pain, his forehead covered in a sheen of sweat as the fever continued to rise. But finally, after a few painful minutes, his breathing rate was turning normal again. Sensing that his friend had calmed down, Aragorn carefully lifted Legolas off of himself with his good arm, and scooted over to the nearest tree. When they reached it, Aragorn delicately laid Legolas against the tree, and then got up and walked over to Zephyr and Gale, and dug through the packs that they carried. He found the herbs that he was looking for, and put them into a pack that was empty, and slung it over his shoulder. Just as he was about to leave, he decided to get some blankets, and started back over to Legolas.

The golden-haired elf relaxed against the tree as Aragorn had left, and immediately was met with comforting words from the tree. Legolas closed his eyes and smiled, enjoying the small respite. After a few minutes, he was met with the sound of Aragorn's footsteps coming towards him. He took a deep breath, and opened his eyes…or tried to. Legolas frowned slightly in displeasure, upset that he was already so weak that it was hard to open his eyes. But he didn't want Aragorn to worry, so he fought to open his eyes as the footsteps neared them, and he was rewarded with the fact that he opened them half-way. He sighed in relief as his vision focused after being blurry for a moment.

"Legolas? How do you feel? What had hurt you when I took you off of Zephyr?" Aragorn asked, worry evident in his voice as he took his cloak off of Legolas and replaced it with the blankets that he brought.

Legolas winced, knowing that this question would be asked sooner or later. "…My leg."

Aragorn's eyes widened. "You leg! What had happened to it!"

Legolas hesitated before answering. "It was slashed by an orc during the fight."

Aragorn was already lifting the blankets slightly to look. "Which?"

"The left."

Sighing, Aragorn pulled the blanket back so that only Legolas' left leg was uncovered. He winced as he saw the slash. _It is still bleeding slightly, and it looks infected. Ai, why does this always happen when we go somewhere?_

Aragorn sighed again, before covering Legolas' leg again, getting up and getting a piece of cloth from a pack that Gale was carrying. He walked toward the stream and wet the cloth, making sure that it was cool. Satisfied, he took the cloth out of the water, and went back to Legolas, putting the wet cloth on his forehead. Legolas sighed contentedly as the coolness of the cloth met his fevered forehead, and looked at Aragorn through half-closed eyes.

"Legolas, you're going to have to lay down." Aragorn stated, already reaching behind Legolas with his good arm.

While Aragorn helped Legolas to lay down near the tree, Legolas noticed something. "Estel, you're not using your left arm."

Aragorn stopped for a moment, before laying Legolas down. "No mellon-nin, I'm not."

"It's broken, isn't it." It was a statement, not a question. _And it took me this long to notice it!_

Aragorn smiled albeit. "Yes, it is. Nothing escapes your eyes, Legolas."

Legolas look away. "But I failed to notice it until now."

"Legolas, you are hurt badly, and you have a fever. It is no surprise that you did not notice it." Aragorn said in a stern voice.

"But you might need help putting it into a sling. Is it a clean break?"

Aragorn frowned slightly. He had been so preoccupied with finding a place to treat Legolas' wounds that he had never checked his own. He lifted his right hand and felt along the break, wincing in pain as he did so. "Yes, it is a clean break."

"Then let me help you put the bone back."

Aragorn sighed, muttering something about stubborn elves. "Fine, but only after I have treated your arrow wound and you have gotten some sleep."

Legolas frowned. "And you're going to keep it like that until then?"

"Yes."

Legolas was about to say something back, but instead he started to cough violently. Aragorn gasped as Legolas coughed harshly, and then the coughing fit stopped as adubtly as it had begun. Aragorn looked at his friend and said sternly, "That's it. I'm going to treat that arrow wound right now."

The elf breathed deep breaths, and then looked at Aragorn. "Fine." But even though he looked calm on the outside, he wasn't feeling so calm inside. _Something tells me this isn't going to be such a walk in the garden._

After a brief minute, Aragorn settled himself on the right side of Legolas, his herbs and bandages next to him, as well as two cups. Bracing himself, he uncovered the blanket around the arrow, and stared intently at the arrow wound.

The poison around it was slowly oozing down as well as blood. The arrow was not deep in Legolas' skin, but it was firmly lodged where it was. Aragorn sucked in his breath. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"Legolas?" he called softly.

The elf in question weakly opened his eyes, as if just that small task was making him weaker. "Yes Estel?" he asked in a small whisper.

"I am going to pull out the arrow." Legolas nodded weakly, wanting to get it over with.

Aragorn eyed the poison while grabbing a cup and cloth. Using the cloth, he put what poison that was visible into the cup, hoping that his father would be able to tell what poison it was. He grabbed another clean cloth and wiped the blood off that was around the arrow. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the shaft of the arrow with his good arm. "Ready?" he asked Legolas.

Legolas nodded, bracing himself for the impending pain.

Taking one more deep breath to try and calm himself, Aragorn quickly removed the arrow in one swift motion. Immediately Legolas yelled in pain as blood and poison poured freely from the wound. Aragorn automatically started to wipe the poison off of his friends arm. Legolas moaned from the intense pain, the cool cloth suddenly feeling as if it was doing absolutely nothing to help as pain doused all of his senses.

Aragorn looked sadly at Legolas as he continued to wipe the poison off of his wound. "I am sorry mellon-nin, but I must get rid of as much poison as I can before I can bandage your wound."

Legolas groaned as he heard this. "Make it stop…" he whispered in a hoarse voice.

Aragorn gazed at Legolas as his friend groaned in pain. _Ai, he's in so much pain! That arrow was meant for me! Legolas should have never been hit! This is my fault…_

After awhile, Aragorn saw that only blood was coming out of the wound. _That means that either all of the poison is gone, or that some has already made it through his bloodstream. I have to get him to ada quickly!_

Quickly cleaning the wound once more, Aragorn started to wrap the wound with the bandages he had. As Legolas gasped in pain every time that he wrapped the wound, Aragorn's guilt rose higher and higher. Finally, Aragorn finished bandaging Legolas' wound, and picked up the second cup that he had with him. He was about to get up to grab the waterskin when he heard Legolas whisper, "Estel?"

Immediately, Aragorn was back at Legolas' side. "Yes Legolas?"

"Water…" he rasped.

"Of course." he answered, and went back to getting the waterskin. He filled the cup with water, and then went back to Legolas. He helped his friend into a sitting position, wincing himself as Legolas gasped in pain when the movement jostled his arm. Legolas drank the water with gratitude, but seemed to wince every time that he swallowed. Aragorn noticed this, but wasn't sure what to think of it. After a few sips, Aragorn pulled the cup away. Legolas opened his eyes slightly, looking at Aragorn, completely confused.

"Hold on." Aragorn said as he put down the cup, and then reached over to where he had left his herbs. Grabbing the ones he needed, he crunched them in his hand as best he could, and then sprinkled them in the cup. Picking the cup up once again, he put it to Legolas' lips.

Legolas' eyes were still open, and he eyed the potion cautiously. "What's in it?" he asked in the same hoarse whisper as before, trying to keep his sentences short.

Aragorn shifted slightly. "Herbs that will help fight the infection and fever."

Even with a fever-ridden mind and half-open eyes, Legolas could tell that there was more to it. "And…?"

Aragorn sighed. "And a sleeping herb."

Legolas narrowed his eyes as best he could through his pain. "I can sleep on my own." his said, his words slightly slurred.

"Yes, but this will help you sleep peacefully." _Hopefully._ Aragorn quickly dismissed the thought before he could dwell on it.

Legolas closed his eyes, suddenly losing all strength to argue. "Fine."

Aragorn noticed this, and looked at Legolas worriedly. Hoping that this would help, he started to help Legolas drink the potion once more. And once again, Legolas seemed to wince at every swallow. Now Aragorn was getting really worried. _Just what did this poison do? Is it the poison?_

After the cup was almost gone, he put the cup back on the ground beside Legolas, and then helped to lower him back on the ground. He took the cloth off of Legolas' forehead, and quickly rewetted it and then put it back. Sighing, he leaned against the tree Legolas was near, and took in his surroundings. He blinked, surprised, as he noticed that night was quickly taking over. _How did that happen?_ he thought as his eyes started to close, exhaustion washing over him once more. _No! I can't sleep! There may be more orcs around!_ Almost ready to go to his herbs and grab a stimulant, he stopped trying to get up as something nudged him on his good arm. Looking up, he saw that that 'something' was a tree branch that belonged to the very tree he was leaning against. Even as he watched, it looked as if that tree and the ones surrounding the clearing were lowering their branches, shielding them completely. The tree Aragorn was leaning on hovered a tree branch protectively over Legolas, as if saying that it would wake Aragorn if anything happened.

Aragorn looked gratefully at the trees as his eyes started to close. "Hannon le."

- - - - - - - - - -

Feeling himself starting to drift off into a deep sleep, Legolas couldn't help but linger on one question that was bothering him. _Why does my throat hurt every time I swallow? Heck, why does it hurt even right now? Just what **is** this poison?_

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_**Another chapter comes to a close,  
**__**And this one puts one important question on show;  
**__**Just what is this poison – do you know?**_

**lol! This is my shortest poem yet! Hm, and how do you guys like Lithendel, my very first LOTR OC? Well, please tell me! Review! You know you want to:)**


	6. Reunion with friends!

**Aheheh…um…sorry for the late update? #dodges sharp flying objects# Sorry! Sorry!**

**Yeah…I get rid of one Biology project on Wednesday, and what does our student teacher do? She gives us THREE lab reports due on Tuesday (today, February 28th), and a couple of worksheets with it. And then I had the competition Saturday, and did real well in one category, and okay in the other two.**

**To brokenwind – Ah, don't worry about it, lots of people misspell stuff! Don't worry about it! And sorry for the late update!**

**To Blayze – Thankies for the compliment! Oops, and I changed it in the 3rd chapter. Now it's his left leg! lol!**

**Hm…a poem? Sorry, but I have to study hard for a big test tomorrow in…guess what subject. BIOLOGY! Yeah, I know, you never would've guessed that! XP**

**Well, here's the slightly long (and completely late) chapter 6!**

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**Chapter 6 – Reunion with friends!**

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A troop of elven warriors raced toward the edge of the realm of Imladris on their respective mounts, passing trees in a blur of colors as they continued through the forest. In the lead were the twins of Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir, and Lithendel, commander of the army in Rivendell. Worried expressions were evident on each of their faces as they rode through past green-leafed trees. Each of the three's minds were racing with possibilities while time sped away. 'What has happened to Legolas and Estel _this_ time' was the main thought that was going around.

But Lithendel was mulling over another question as well. _What of my patrol? We have ridden for half a day, and still no sign of the patrol assigned to this part of Imladris. And add this to the absence of Estel and Legolas…this is only spelling trouble._

The commander sighed inwardly as he thought of the two young warriors. Every time he saw those two he yearned for his own youth. He wasn't old (in elven standards), but he felt old enough to wish for his youth when he saw Legolas and Estel go on rides and adventures, with or without Elrond's or Thranduil's consent. Lithendel smiled slightly as he remembered when he was younger, always on the training field instead of studying. People would say he was the physical form of energy because he could never sit still, always ready to train or escape studying.

_And Rilen…_Lithendel thought as he bit his lip slightly in worry. Rilen was his best friend for as long as he could remember, and Lithendel recalled how his and Rilen's family would say that they should have been born as brothers because they were always together, getting in and out of trouble almost at will. They even looked the same, both with raven-colored hair. As of now, his best friend Rilen was part of one of the patrols…

…the patrol that happened to be the one missing.

- - - - - - - - - -

Aragorn stirred slightly in his sleep as he was softly nudged on his arm. He grumbled in annoyance as the nudging became steadily harder, and opened one eye slightly. The first thing he saw was a tree branch that was rustling it's leaves impatiently, pointing down toward Legolas. Gasping as remembered the current situation, he was suddenly full awake as he hastily went to Legolas' side.

The elf in question was moaning in his sleep, murmuring softly in elvish as he moved restlessly on the spot he was laying on.

"Legolas!" Aragorn exclaimed in worry while feeling his friend's forehead. _Valar! The fever hasn't gone down at all!_

Quickly he rewetted it in the stream before placing the cool wet cloth on Legolas' fevered forehead. Suddenly, Aragorn remembered something that almost made him kick himself.

_His leg! I never tended to it!_

In a hurry Aragorn rushed to his herb pack and grabbed more bandages. He quickly lifted the blanket up so that Legolas' left leg was uncovered. The human rolled up the legging so that he could look at the horrible gash.

Cringing slightly, Aragorn looked the gash up-and-down, making sure that nothing was inside of the wound. He grabbed a clean cloth, and quickly cleaned the wound of blood. Picking some herbs, he crushed them into a thick paste, and spread a little on the gash before wrapping it. Pulling back down Legolas' legging, he glanced up at his friend's face.

Legolas had his eyes open a little, and he had a dazed look on him. Obviously the herbs were still at work, putting him in a half-sleep. "Legolas?" Aragorn called softly.

The golden-haired elf blinked slowly before answering, "Yes?" he answered in a scratchy voice.

Aragorn sighed in relief at hearing his friends voice, even though the hoarse tone he spoke in worried him. "Does your leg feel better now?"

"Yes. Hannon le," Legolas answered, closing his eyes tiredly.

Aragorn gazed worriedly at his friend as Legolas drifted back to sleep. _His throat…what is wrong with it? The poison? The fever? Ai, I need ada's help! We have to get back! Somehow…_

- - - - - - - - - -

Dark shadows passed through the forest, moving silently across the ground. The trees shivered as the figures went past them, knowing the evil that they brought. The shadowed figures were clad in mysterious cloaks, masking their presence so that nobody could sense them without being at least a couple of yards away. Unless of course, that person was skilled in sensing even through masks of dark magic.

As the party slipped briefly out of the shadow of the trees and into the sun, the disfigured and cruel faces of orcs were clearly visible. Then the shadows claimed them once more as they continued their desired path...a path that lead directly to Rivendell.

_The Dark Lord Sauron is rising again…and this elven realm will be the first to go._

- - - - - - - - - -

Lithendel walked along the edge of the stream as they gave the horses a brief respite before continuing on. _The day is waning away…and still no sign of Legolas and Estel, or the patrols. Elbereth, please help!_

His prayers were answered as he heard Elladan's voice shout, "Lithendel!"

In a heartbeat he was at their side, ready for anything. He was met with the sight of Elrohir kneeling on the ground, observing something, as Elladan pointed at a small pile of burnt wood. Lithendel immediately got the message, and gasped slightly in shock. "They camped here!" he said in a whisper.

"Yes, and these tracks confirm it," Elrohir added. "These are definitely Estel and Legolas' footprints."

"Legolas wouldn't leave very deep footprints," Elladan said.

"And that's why the fact that they're so light confirms that they are Legolas'."

"So then what are we waiting for?" the older twin said as he gripped the hilt of the sword that was on his belt. "Let's go find them! There's no telling what kind of trouble they're in this time!"

"And we probably don't want to be told," Elrohir said dryly.

Lithendel smiled albeit despite the worries plaguing his mind. "That may be true."

"_May?_ Lithendel, it probably _is_ true!"

Elladan followed the tracks of Legolas and Estel's horses to the edge of the stream. "Either way, we're going to find them!"

- - - - - - - - - -

Aragorn was looking around for materials to make a sling when leaves started to fall around him. Irritated, he brushed away the leaves, before hearing a tree branch loudly rustle it's leaves. Startled, he glanced at the tree branch, which happened to belong to the tree next to Legolas. It seemed to be pointing at a place in the direction of the battle site while a breeze blew around them, having a vague feeling of urgency to it. Aragorn started at the tree for a moment, before it dawned on him. _Orcs are coming!_

He hurried over to his pile of herbs and bandages, hastily putting them back into their pack. Aragorn whistled quickly to Zephyr and Gale, signaling for them to come closer. The said horses came in a flash, and were at Aragorn's side in a moment. Placing the pack of herbs onto Zephyr's back, he turned towards Legolas.

The elf was still sleeping, occasionally moaning from the fever. Aragorn didn't want to move Legolas right now, but he didn't think he had any choice. Zephyr kneeled low as Aragorn moved to pick up his friend. But just before he did, leaves once again rustled, and as he looked up, the branch was pointing in a different direction this time; towards the part of the stream they had camped at the night before the fight.

Looking between the directions of the battle site, Legolas, and their last camp, Aragorn wasn't sure what to do. _Does this mean that orcs are coming from both sides? Are we doomed to die in this clearing?_

His mind was still racing when he heard Zephyr snort and stand straight again. Aragorn looked at the two horses, watching them toss their heads and neigh. Thinking of only one thing to do, the human lowered his head, and, mindful of his broken arm, pressed his ear to the ground, trying to listen for anything, _anything_ at all. _Valar help us…_he desperately prayed.

His ear was met with the distant sound of hooves, and he felt his spirits rise higher than he thought was possible at the time. _Hooves! Orcs wound never ride horses! Help has arrived, thank the Valar!_

Aragorn quickly packed the rest of their supplies, and returned to Legolas' side. He battled with the thought of waking him up just to tell him the grand news, but reluctantly decided against it, knowing it was better if Legolas wound get his rest. _At least now Imladris will learn of this sudden threat, and we will defeat these troublesome orcs!_

- - - - - - - - - -

Horses sped through the forest of Imladris while the elves riding them led them in the direction that the wind led them. The sudden gust of wind had arrived just before they crossed the stream, and the patrol followed the wind, sensing the need for hurry that the wind sent. They had passed the stream in a rush, and were no speeding through the forest. But suddenly the wind stopped, and the patrol adubtly halted. Their heads turned as the loud rustling of leaves met their ears, quickly drawing their attention to a hidden path between two trees.

"It will be hard to fit all of the horses in that path," Elrohir stated after a couple of moments of silence.

Elladan nodded in agreement. "Then you, me and Lithendel will go while the rest stand guard here. Is that alright Lithendel."

Nodding, Lithendel turned Gailim towards the rest of the patrol. "Stand guard here and watch for anyone or anything suspicious, and send word to us if you do, no matter how trivial it may seem."

The guards said their covenant while Lithendel, Elladan and Elrohir headed towards the path. The leaves continued to rustle in a specific direction, their movements giving the small party of three a feeling of anticipation. _Of course,_ Elladan thought, _What else can we expect than to see Estel and Legolas hurt?_

The twins heard the commander gasp slightly as they came to a small clearing. Trees surrounded the area, and a stream ran through the clearing as well. And there, right next to a tree, were none other than the two friends they were looking for.

"Estel! Legolas!" the twins shouted simultaneously as they hurriedly slid off of their horses and led them to Zephyr and Gale as Lithendel did the same. The three newcomers crowded around Legolas and Aragorn, looking from the fever-ridden elf to the broken-armed human.

Elrohir sighed heavily as he looked at Legolas. "All right Estel, what happened this time?"

Aragorn smiled albeit. "_This_ time?"

Elladan chuckled slightly. "I don't think we have time to go through all of the others."

Aragorn sent them a mock-glare before launching into the tale of his and Legolas' latest 'adventure.' Lithendel's eyes widened in shock when Aragorn told them of the dead guards, but the most horrifying part came when he described the injuries they had both received.

"A new poison?" Elladan asked, his face deep in thought. "Or one you have not heard of or read about yet?"

Aragorn looked at Legolas before sighing in regret. "I cannot say."

The older twin's eyes softened as he saw the sorrow and guilt in Aragon's eyes. But he grew serious quickly when he noticed his foster brother's broken arm. "Well, whether you can say or cannot say won't get your arm fixed. We have to set the bone right now before you lose the use of that arm completely."

Aragorn looked sheepishly at his broken arm. "Um, yeah, I was getting to that."

Elrohir shook his head. "Yeah, maybe when you finally made it back home!"

Elladan settled himself behind Aragorn, and put his hand on the human's shoulder while Elrohir took hold of Aragon's arm. Taking one last worried glance at Legolas, Lithendel hurried off to find some materials for a makeshift sling for Aragorn's arm.

"Ready?" Elladan asked Aragorn.

Taking a deep breath, Aragorn nodded. "Yes."

In a swift movement, Elrohir popped the bone back in place. Aragorn hissed in pain as Lithendel returned with a makeshift sling. _Ai, that hurts!_ Aragorn thought as pain flared up and down his mended arm. _From now on, I'm not breaking any more bones!_ A small smiled creeped onto his face at that. _Who am I kidding, there's no way I'm going to make it through my life only breaking a bone once or twice!_

By the time Aragorn's arm was in the sling, Elrohir had already prepared a potion to help with the pain. Aragorn took it gratefully as Elladan examined Legolas, who hadn't stirred at all during the conversation before. He grimaced as he looked at the arrow wound. "Estel, do you have any of the poison from Legolas' wound?"

"Yes, right over here…" he said as he hurried toward a pack near Zephyr and came back with a small cup. He handed to Elladan, who took it, wondering what kind of poison it may be. He let out a sigh after analyzing it for awhile.

"No, I don't recall ever seeing or hearing about anything like this," he said, regret in his voice.

After Lithendel and Elrohir also took a look at it, they both shook their heads. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what it is either," Elrohir said.

Lithendel looked thoughtful for a minute before saying, "But if anyone would know, it would be Lord Elrond. He is a highly skilled healer, and I have no doubt that he will know of this mysterious poison."

"I sure hope so, because my throats only feeling worse," a new voice said in a raspy tone.

Everybody looked done in surprise. "Legolas!" they cried simultaneously, seeing that their friend was indeed awake, even though his eyes were only half-way open.

Legolas managed a weak smile. "That is my name."

Elladan tried to look angry. "You idiot, we're here worrying our heads off about you, and you're making jokes!"

Legolas' smiled widened albeit, before his eyes started to close again as he drifted back into sleep.

"Wait, Legolas!" Aragorn said.

Legolas' eyes stopped closing as he fought for a few more seconds of consciousness. "Yes?"

"How is your throat?"

The elf took a moment before saying, "It feels horrible…it hurts badly to talk." The look of pain that crossed his face was enough evidence to Aragorn that this was no small matter. _It hurt's him badly just to talk! Valar, it must be the poison!_

When Legolas had drifted back to sleep, the twins and Lithendel looked at Aragorn. "His throat is hurting?" Elladan asked.

Aragorn sighed. "Yes, and I think that it is because of the poison."

Elrohir's eyes narrowed. "Then we have to get you two home quick! And ada must be told of these orcs quickly, before they cause a commotion in Rivendell!"

As if to contradict that statement, one of the guards they had come with rushed into the clearing. He looked like one of the younger guards, the scabbard holding his sword bouncing against him as he ran. "Commander Lithendel!" he shouted as he neared Lithendel. "I bring ill news, Commander."

Lithendel had a morbid feeling about the news, but pressed on anyways, knowing it was his duty. "Yes?"

"Up ahead, there a site of a dreadful battle. A battle with orcs, and with one of the patrol groups. And also, there is a report that a group of orcs are on their way." The guard looked as if there might be more, but he didn't say.

But Lithendel noticed this. He looked back at the twins, Aragorn and Legolas briefly. Elladan was already stringing his bow, and Elrohir was telling Aragorn that he couldn't fight with one arm. Knowing that they would be leaving soon, he decided to ask this quickly. "Is there something else?"

The guard fidgeted slightly. "Commander…it's…"

Lithendel's nervousness rose higher as his guard fidgeted. "Yes?"

The young elf looked up at his commander with sorrow-filled eyes. "I'm sorry Commander, but…the patrol that fell was Rilen's."

Lithendel's heart grew cold.

"I'm sorry commander…Rilen…is dead."

-

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_**Oh my gosh,  
a fight is coming  
we'll find out which side is truly cunning,  
and if our heroes will survive!**_

**#sniff# I caused Lithendel to be so sad…#sniff# More angst in more chapters! Review please! #puppy dog face# Pretty please?**


	7. Home Sweet Home! Right

**Ah…the next chapter…**

**Man oh man, the next week is…Spring Break! Ah, I'm so happy! #looks at calendar# WHAT! IT'S ONLY TUESDAY! NOOOO!**

**Oh, and before I start the next chapter, here's a special poem for all you reviewers out there!**

_**Thank You!**_

_**Reviewers are so special,**_

_**they make the world go round,**_

_**They help keep some authors,**_

_**from running their fics into the ground,**_

_**So here's to all you reviewers out there,**_

_**from me to you with glee,**_

_**Thank You for all your love and support!**_

_**You're so important to me!**_

**:) Hope ya'll like it! Hehe, and I realized something in some of the review replies. I put some of them that I would update at 5 o' clock, but I forgot that some (or most) of ya'll might not live in the Central Time Zone! So I'm sorry if that caused any confusion. --;; I live in Texas.**

**To brokenwind – Aw, thankies for the compliment! Hannon le!**

**To unnamed – Me? Update soon? You'll have to talk to my teachers about that! lol! They give out too much homework!**

**WARNING! HUGE CLIFFY AHEAD! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!**

**You've been warned! (and by the way, sorry if there's a lot of mistakes in this chapter, I didn't have time to edit it before I posted it)**

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**Chapter 7 – Home Sweet Home!...Right?**

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Lithendel inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself. _Rilen…dead? Gone? No…that can't be…that's not true…Rilen can't be gone!_ he thought numbly, slightly shaking his head in disbelief. _We've been together so long…Rilen…_

The rest of the group had gone silent; Aragorn and Elrohir had stopped arguing, and Elladan stood with his bow in one hand, looking at Lithendel. The young guard beside the commander seemed to look extremely uncomfortable and sad, knowing the close friendship that his commander and Rilen had. The older twin quickly slung his bow over his shoulder and walked quickly over to Lithendel and the young guard.

"How large is the group of orcs?" Elladan asked as he walked arrived next to Lithendel.

The young guard looked relieved to finally break the sorrow-filled silence. "About two or so dozen."

Aragorn narrowed his eyes in frustration. "I guess those orcs are ready for Round 2 then."

Elrohir raised his eyebrows. "Oh, you make it sound like you're going to fight them."

"Of course I am!"

"Of course you're _not!_"

While Elrohir continued to try and get Aragorn to listen, Elladan told the guard that they would send them orders soon, and to prepare for anything. When the young guard had left, he turned toward Lithendel. The commander was staring at the same tree he'd been staring at for the last minute. His eyes were misty, and his head was shaking slightly. Feeling Elladan's comforting hand on his shoulder, he sighed in remorse. "He's…gone. I don't believe it…"

Elladan pulled Lithendel into a warm embrace, knowing the deep sorrow the commander held. "It's okay Lithendel. This isn't your fault," he said, already predicting from past experience that Lithendel was feeling guilty for this.

Lithendel took a deep breath. "You take Legolas and Estel back to Imladris. I'll take care of the orcs," he said, slightly pulling away from Elladan.

Elladan looked quizzically at the commander. "Are you sure?"

Lithendel nodded, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Yes. Now you four should hurry back, before this poison turns deadly for Prince Legolas."

Elladan nodded grimly. "Yes, Legolas has landed himself in quite a fix this time."

Lithendel nodded as he walked toward Gailim. He gracefully mounted his horse, and started for the entrance (and exit) for the clearing. "You must hurry and leave, my lords, for it seems that there are more to these orcs than meets the eye. We will do our best as guards of Imladris to defeat these dark creatures."

"And we wish you the best of luck Commander Lithendel," Elladan said, watching as Lithendel rode away quickly on Gailim. Sighing, he turned around and walked back towards his brothers.

"See? You hear that Estel?" Elrohir was saying, "Lithendel says that we're going back anyways. Orcs will stand no chance against him and his patrol!"

"At least, they shouldn't," Elladan concurred. "But after what happened to Rilen's patrol…it's like he said, there's something different about these orcs."

"Yes, but Lithendel's on a path for revenge," Aragorn said with a grim look. "I don't think that those orcs are going to live for long when he finds them."

Elrohir chuckled humorlessly. "That's most likely true."

"But this talk isn't getting us anywhere," Elladan said with a set look on his face. "We must hurry back to Rivendell so that Legolas can see ada."

Elrohir and Aragorn nodded with determined looks on their faces. "Right!"

- - - - - - - - - - 

Lithendel and his selected guards that came with him on the search patrol sat on their mounts, waiting for the marching orcs. The raven-haired commander looked ahead as his eyes blazed with emotions: sorrow, hate, regret, and others. _These orcs are going to pay for what they have done!_ Lithendel vowed. _They've poisoned Legolas, hurt Estel, and…_he took a deep breath to calm himself, _And they've killed Rilen! My dearest friend…Why? Why Rilen? And the guards as well...their family and lovers will be heartbroken…_Lithendel took a shaky breath. Alas, the life and risks of being a guard.

Suddenly, his keen ears picked up the sound of heavy boots stomping against the forest ground. He signaled his archers to get ready, while the rest prepared to attack. Lithendel strung his own bow as well, and grabbed an arrow from the quiver on his back, waiting for the orcs to show their horrid faces. Slowly the orcs were in their sights, and the elf archers, as well as Lithendel, readied their bows, pulling the strings taut with the arrow. Soon the orcs were within range, and their arrows flew to the oncoming creatures. The orcs that were hit fell with startled cries, while the rest yelled in fury at being taken by surprise. The remaining orcs raised their heavy swords and clubs in retaliation.

The elf archers continued to let a rain of arrows fall upon the yelling creatures. Orcs that remained standing continued to holler and yell while running uncaringly over their fallen comrades. When the archers ran out of arrows, they slung their bows over their shoulders and drew their swords and knives.

The commander unsheathed his own sword, _Urya'dur_, which meant 'Blazing faith' in the elven language. A new elven blacksmith, Herith, had forged the sword for him; it was the first sword the blacksmith had made. It was given to him as a gift for helping him to become a blacksmith.

Quickly he glanced at his guards. Each had a determined look on his face, knowing how much this meant to their commander. There were only ten guards in counting, eleven counting Lithendel. Taking a deep breath, he tightened his grip on _Urya'dur_. Shouting a signal, he led his patrol charging into the knot of orcs that were left. _This is for Estel, Legolas, and Rilen!_

And with that, the battle between the orcs and group of guards truly began…

- - - - - - - - - - 

Aragorn, Elladan, and Elrohir traveled through the forest as quickly as they could, careful not to cause Legolas any discomfort as they made their way to Rivendell. Legolas was sleeping fitfully due to the fever, but the good news was that the fever had finally stopped rising, and Elladan suspected that it would break soon.

Legolas and Elladan both rode on Zephyr while Elladan held onto his own horse's reins, Uial, leading him beside Zephyr. Lúme, Elrohir's horse, a dark brown stallion, was right beside Aragorn, making sure he was okay.

They had been riding for what seemed like forever. They occasionally stopped to make sure that Legolas was okay, and to make sure that Aragorn's broken arm was setting correctly. Then they would give Legolas a potion for his fever and continue on their way to Rivendell, eager to see Elrond. Well…mostly. Each of the sons of Elrond were quiet, wondering just how angry the Lord of Imladris would be. Aside from wondering how his father would act, Aragorn had another problem. He was starving! _When was the last time I ate?_

About an hour away from Rivendell, Elladan told the other two to stop.

Aragorn looked at Elladan quizzically. "But we're almost there! Perhaps just another hour or so!"

Elrohir laughed. "Yes, but I don't think that's soon enough for you Estel! Your stomach has been talking for quite awhile now!"

Aragorn blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Really?"

Elladan joined Elrohir in laughing. "You mean you haven't noticed it? Are you not hungry?"

"I'm starving!" Aragorn said without thinking.

Elladan smiled. "Well, then it is a good thing we raided the kitchen! We might as well be lectured with a full stomach!"

Elrohir groaned at that. "Aw, you just had to remind me."

"Oh, you mean to tell me that you've forgotten that we're walking from one danger to another?"

"You'd better hope ada never hears you say that."

The older twin was about to say something back when he felt Legolas stir. "Legolas?" he said, unsure if the injured elf was finally waking up or perhaps having a fever dream.

Legolas opened his eyes slightly. "E-Elladan?" he said in a hoarse whisper.

Elladan noticed this. "Legolas, your throat still hurts? Just nod or shake your head," he added hastily. Legolas nodded his head.

"Does it feel funny?"

Another nod.

"Would it hurt if I felt your throat to see if it's swollen?"

Legolas paused before shrugging his shoulders as best he could, before wincing in pain as he remembered that one arm was still injured.

Worry filled Elladan as he felt Legolas' swollen throat. _A poison that causes a swollen throat?_

Aragorn and Elrohir had already dismounted Gale and Lúme, and were setting up a small place where they could eat some food real quick. Elrohir heaved the food pack off of Lúme and carried it over to the small clearing that Aragorn had made. Elladan slid off of Zephyr when she knelt to the ground, and then carefully carried the half-asleep Legolas over to the small clearing. Aragorn hurriedly laid a blanket on the ground, and Elladan placed Legolas on it.

Elrohir was busy looking for something that they could eat without making a fire; if there made a fire, it might attract orcs that weren't fighting with the guards right now. Finally finding some lembas bread, he gave everybody a piece, but stopped when he reached Legolas; he was unsure of whether the golden-haired elf would be able to swallow the elven bread.

Elladan noticed this, and bit his lip slightly as he thought. _Legolas would be able to swallow some soup, but we can't make soup without a fire…we can't make good soup, at least. But whether or not cold soup will do Legolas any good is the question…_

Sighing, Elladan moved over to the food pack, digging through it to see if he could find anything for Legolas. Picking out a few soft foods, he broke them up and sprinkled them into a cup of medicine that Aragorn had just finished making.

"At least this way, Legolas might receive some food…if he's hungry at all," Elladan said as he slowly raised the prince of Mirkwood so that he could feed him the mixture.

Aragorn chewed thoughtfully on some lembas bread. "The poison might make it so that any food that he tries to stomach nauseates him."

Elrohir nodded his agreement. "Feed it to him slowly, so that if he shows any signs of being nauseated, we can stop quickly."

Elladan took a deep breath as he gradually fed Legolas the mixture. He paused in-between every swallow, noticing with growing worry that every swallow caused Legolas more pain. Suddenly, Legolas weakly moved his head away from the cup that Elladan was leading to his lips again, telling the older twin silently that that was enough. Elladan sighed, wishing that Legolas would've drunken more.

Aragorn saw this. "It's no use if we feed him more than he can handle."

Elrohir had a look of regret though. "But I have to agree, I wish that he had drunken more as well. He only took about five sips!"

Elladan looked at Legolas, who seemed like he was falling asleep once more, due to the sleeping herb that Aragorn had slipped into his medicine.

"I need you to nod or shake your head once again Legolas. Are you nauseated?"

Legolas shook his head.

"So it is your throat?"

Legolas nodded.

Elladan sighed once more. "Alright. You may rest."

Legolas was asleep before Elladan even said that.

Aragorn moved over, worry evident on his face. He felt Legolas' forehead, and the worry only grew more. "The fever hasn't changed, and this cloth needs to be rewetted."

"But we've already passed the stream," Elrohir stated. But then he glanced quickly at the packs that Lúme were carrying. "Wait one second," he said as he hurried over to the packs. Seconds late he came back with a waterskin, and rewetted the cloth. He placed it back onto Legolas' forehead. The golden-haired elf visibly relaxed at the cloth's touch.

Aragorn sighed. "That's one obstacle down…" he looked at the direction Rivendell was in, "and one more to go."

- - - - - - - - - - 

Elrond walked nervously through the garden. The sky above was slowly turning into the colors of the evening, and Elrond's worry only mounted more at that. _Nobody has returned…_

He sat down on a bench and dropped his head into his hands that were propped atop of his knees. _Ai, they are making me panic even before they have arrived!_

Suddenly his senses were hit with four new presences. _Could it be…?_

Not daring to hope any higher than he could, the elven lord hurried over to the entrance to Rivendell. He bit his lip slightly in anticipation. _One of their presence's is faint…to faint for comfort._ But relief swept through him as he could faintly see four horses riding towards him, bearing his sons. _But where is Legolas?_

As Zephyr, Gale, Lúme, and Uial quickly galloped as fast as their master's allowed them, a few elf guards came closer to the entrance, wondering what was happening. They smiled and shouted in joy as they saw the sons of Elrond riding towards them.

The twins and Aragorn seemed to discuss something between them quickly as they came closer, before Elladan nodded and pulled ahead of the others and sped toward Elrond. The lord of Imladris took a deep breath as he saw his son galloping towards him, preparing himself for whatever had happened this time. _But I will be sure to lecture them later! There is no way they're getting out of that!_

Elladan rode up to his father, and pulled on Uial's reins, halting the horse in his tracks.

"Ada, Legolas has been poisoned."

A distressed look immediately appeared on Elrond's face. "Hurry, bring him inside, and take him to his room. Do you know what poison ails him?"

Elladan looked away. "No ada, we do not know."

Elrond's distress only grew at those words. "Well then, quickly take him to his room as I gather herbs that may be useful…if any are left." Elladan had the grace to blush slightly at that. "We didn't take that many," he muttered.

"It does not matter how _many_ you took, but _which_ ones you took."

The son of Elrond sighed. "I'll just hurry and take Legolas over to his room."

Elrond nodded. "Make haste," he said before hurrying to his herb stock.

- - - - - - - - - - 

_So that was the weak presence that I felt…and feel now._ Elrond thought as he hurried to his herb stock. _And Estel's presence feels weak as well…even though it's not nearly as weak as Legolas'. But what really worries me is that…Legolas' presence is getting even fainter as I hurry to my herb stock._

Quickly Elrond entered the room where his herbs were. Shelves upon shelves were laden with healing herbs of all kinds. He grabbed a small basket in the corner and then started to pick up herbs that he thought would be useful while tending to Legolas. He placed them carefully in the basket as he hastily looked through what herbs were there. There were random spots where herbs would already be missing, and those were mostly herbs that helped with sleep, fever, and infection. There was also some missing that could fight certain poisons, but that only heightened his worry. _If they took some herbs that could fight poisons, why couldn't they treat Legolas? Did they not have the right ones? Or is this a new poison?_

As his mind continued to race with possibilities, each one slightly worse than the last as worry took over, he grabbed the last herb and was just exiting the room when he felt it. Or rather, felt it _leave._ He almost dropped the basket of herbs as his eyes widened in fear. _No…_

The thing that had left…was Legolas' presence.

**-**

**-**

**-**

_**Ow! Ai! Ouch, that hurts!**_

_**Throwing sharp objects is surely what you're doing,**_

_**While all this time, my muse is cuing,**_

**_For some more angst, for our heroes are still hurt!_**

**Yup. My evilness has returned. Like I said, mean cliffy, huh? But--#gets out a shield and armor#--I'm prepared for whatever you throw (or send) at me! HA!**

**I'm dead for this, aren't I? --;;**


	8. The Poison Revealed!

**Aheheh…long wait…erm….sorry? #gets hit in the head with a rotten tomato# Ow!**

**Well, sorry minna-san (that means 'everybody,' remember?), but my poor little laptop was on the fritz. In other words, it was pretty much broken. My poor wittle laptop caught a bug, and my internet wasn't always working. Couldn't do much on it, 'til late Saturday. Hehe. Sorry again!**

**On the plus side, that gave me time to work on my stories! Maybe I can update one of my other stories now…**

**To brokenwind – You were in the hospital? I hope you're all better:) As for your question…hmm…maybe he lived….#evil laugh#**

**And the chapterly poem…let's see…Elfinabottle dropped me in the Harad desert, but I think I was in one! Texas isn't getting much rain at all, I think from October to now we haven't gotten more than 2 or 3 inches. :( Although it's a lot hotter in the Harad desert. But once spring comes here in Texas, it probably will be just as hot as the Harad desert…and even worse in the summer. :( WE NEED RAIN!**

_**Rain, rain, please come to Texas!  
**__**The Lone Star State, it's the bestest!  
**__**The grass is all brown,  
**__**And the trees wear a frown,  
**__**Please make them all turn upside-down!**_

**-.-;; It's too early to be writing poems…**

**Okay, without further ado (lest you all kill me for it), here is…#drumroll# CHAPTER 8! **

**(Not all parts had time to be edited. Sorry!)**

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**Chapter 8 – The Poison Revealed!**

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Elrond's grip on the basket he was carrying tightened as he knew what this could mean. _Legolas…no! That can't happen! It's just because I'm worried right now!_

Trying to convince himself that this was the reason, Elrond practically ran through the halls toward Legolas' room. Turning the corner to where the golden-haired elf's room was, he saw his sons hurrying towards the said room. Legolas was in Elladan's arms, and as he neared his father, Elrond could see the anxious looks on each of their faces.

"Ada-Legolas-his presence, it-it-"Elladan stuttered.

"Just hurry and get him in the room," Elrond said hurriedly.

Elladan did as he was told and quickly went into the chamber, placing Legolas gently on the bed. Elrond was already standing beside the bed as Aragorn and Elrohir entered the room.

Bracing himself, the lord of Imladris reached for Legolas' wrist to feel for a pulse…

- - - - - - - - - -

Lithendel walked across the once clean forest clearing as he made sure that all of the orcs that littered the ground were dead. Just as he was passing the last part of where the battle had gone, he heard a body shifting on the ground. Narrowing his eyes, he immediately turned to his right and walked toward where he had heard the sound. He stopped when he was next to the orc, and unsheathed _Urya'dur_. The orc glared with hatred at the elf. It had a gash across it's stomach, and an arm was missing. The commander placed the tip of the beautiful silver sword at the orc's neck.

"What is the purpose of coming to the realm of Imladris?" he demanded with a baleful look on his face.

The orc countered with a malevolent look. "To kill all the elves that live here!" he spat angrily.

Lithendel growled and pressed the tip of the sword deeper against the orc's neck, drawing dark blood. "Who sent you?" he demanded once more.

"Lord Sauron!" he proclaimed proudly, and started to laugh madly.

Lithendel's eyes widened in shock. _Sauron? Elbereth, he's rising again!_

The orc was still laughing madly, and Lithendel growled again and quickly beheaded the orc. The laughing stopped adubtly, and he sighed while sheathing his sword. _Lord Elrond must know of this at once! But…_

The thought of leaving Rilen and his friend's patrol lying among orcs was unbearable, so he quickly told half of his guard's to go and gather the bodies and then to bury them in a clean place, devoid of any signs of orcs. The other half he ordered to gather the dead orcs and throw them in a pile away from the trees, so that they can burn them.

Now, with his guards rushing about to fulfill his orders, he made his way to Rilen. Lithendel's eyes watered at the sight of his friend as he kneeled in front of Rilen.

Rilen was the one who was trying to run back to Imladris, before the blood loss and poison killed him. Lithendel cringed as he saw the arrow protruding from the back of his friend, as well as the poison that was around the arrow. He choked back a sob as he gathered his dearest friend into his arms, careful of the poison. Tears fell unchecked as Lithendel held Rilen tightly in his arms. _Rilen…_

- - - - - - - - - -

Elrond gasped slightly in shock as he felt Legolas' wrist. _There is still a pulse! But…then why can't I feel any life from Legolas?_ His eyes widened in fear at this. _This poison…could it be?..._

But the twins and Aragorn took this gasp of surprise the wrong way. Each of their faces looked equally fearful as Aragorn asked, "Ada?...Is…is Legolas…?"

The lord of Imladris looked like he slightly tensed at Aragorn's question. "No…he still lives."

Elladan could tell that there was more to this than what his father had said. "Then why do you look tense ada?"

Elrond sighed quietly at the question. _I should've known that they could tell…_ "This poison that you spoke of…what are its symptoms?"

"A swollen throat…and the sudden disappearance of his presence," Elrohir said.

"Ada…you know this poison, don't you?" Aragorn asked.

Elrond frowned sadly at that. "Aye…but how I wish that it didn't even exist."

"Just what is this poison ada?"

The elven lord looked reluctant to even speak of it. "It is called the _Dínencuil_ – the silent life poison."

"Silent life?" Elladan echoed.

"What does it do, ada?" Aragorn asked.

Making sure that Legolas was asleep, Elrond looked back at his sons. "Just what it is doing now. The poison takes away his presence…and it will make the swollen throat take away his voice."

The sons of Elrond gasped simultaneously in shock at this. "An elf without a voice!" Elladan whispered angrily.

"That alone would kill Legolas…" Aragorn whispered sadly.

"That poison should be wiped off of the face of Middle Earth!" Elrohir whispered indignantly.

Elrond nodded sadly. "It drives most elves faced with the poison into a depression…a depression where they stop eating or drinking at all…slowly killing themselves, rather than the poison killing them."

"But there is a antidote, right?" Aragorn asked hopefully.

The elven lord looked uneasy at that. "Yes…"

"'Yes,' what?"

"He didn't get the poison from a plant, did he?" Elrond stated while raising an eyebrow.

Aragorn fidgeted slightly. "Not exactly…" But under his father's piercing gaze, he relented quickly. "We were ambushed by orcs."

Elrond narrowed his eyes. "Ambushed?"

Aragorn once again launched into the story of how he and Legolas had found the dead guard's body (they don't know it's Rilen), and then investigated further, only to find a battle site that was covered with the bodies of dead elves and orcs. He continued on, through the part of finding the clearing, taking care of Legolas' wounds, being found by Elladan, Elrohir and Lithendel, and to the part of where he, the twins and Legolas parted ways with Lithendel while Lithendel took care of the party of orcs that were advancing on them.

Elrond sighed after the story. "After this, I am thinking of locking the two of you away so that you will never find trouble again!"

Elrohir smiled a little at the slight threat. "I wouldn't try that ada. They can probably find trouble anywhere!" Aragorn muttered something under his breath at that.

Elladan chuckled a little before suddenly turning serious. "But what about the antidote, ada? Where is it? What is it?"

"It is called _elessfea_, and it's a rare dark purple plant that is found near Weathertop." Elrond explained.

Aragorn looked surprised. "Weathertop? Really?"

"Then it's not that far away at all!" Elrohir exclaimed excitedly. "We can make it there and then be back before you know it!"

Elrond raised his eyebrows. "Oh? You're going?"

"Of course!"

"Of course _not_."

Suddenly Elladan laughed, making Elrond, Elrohir and Aragorn turn and stare at him oddly. Still laughing slightly, Elladan waved a hand while saying, "Sorry, sorry, that conversation was just familiar, that's all."

Aragorn grinned, also remembering the earlier conversation. "That's right, that was when Elrohir was saying that there was no way that I could go and fight against the orcs with a broken arm."

Elrond and Elrohir both glared at Aragorn.

"And I was absolutely right!"

"And he was absolutely right!"

Aragorn and Elladan both laughed as Elrond and Elrohir stared at each other, before Elrohir started laughing as well. "Now I know where I get that famous stubbornness from!"

The three young elves continued to laugh, when suddenly they noticed that there was one more laughing voice than they had thought.

"Legolas!" Aragorn exclaimed, rushing to the side of his friend's bed.

The golden-haired elf was laughing in hoarse voice, wincing every few chuckles before he finally went into a painful coughing fit.

Thinking quickly, Elrond gathered herbs while ordering Elladan and Elrohir to bring a cool wet cloth and cool water. The elven lord picked up a cup as the twins came rushing in with the cloth and water. Elrohir poured some water in the cup before handing it back to his father. Elrond hurriedly mixed in the herbs. Elladan went to Legolas' bed, and carefully placed the cool wet cloth on Legolas' forehead. Legolas slowly stopped coughing as the coolness of the cloth relaxed him. Elrond came forward and knelt slightly beside Legolas' bed.

"Drink, penneth," he said as he edged the cup near Legolas' mouth. Legolas opened his eyes slightly, and looked warily at the potion.

Elrond sighed. "I know this will be painful penneth, but you must drink this. It will help, I promise."

Reluctantly, Legolas complied, and sip-by-sip drank a bit of the potion. While Elrond was helping Legolas drink the mixture, Elladan, Elrohir and Aragorn gathered in a tight circle, discussing how they could get the antidote.

"We can't let Legolas lose his voice!" Aragorn declared. "We have to go and get that antidote!"

Elladan stared pointedly at Elrohir before saying, "Yes, _Elrohir_ and _I_ will go and get the antidote."

Aragorn looked dejected. "What? Why can't I go? I perfectly capable!"

Elladan sighed. "Aragorn, you can't go riding around with a broken arm. That could cause it to set incorrectly, and then it will take even longer for you to regain the use of your arm."

"Well, still, it can't be just you two, what if orcs attack again?"

"Then I shall accompany them Estel," a new voice said.

The sons of Elrond jumped in surprise, heart rates racing as they looked up at the newcomer.

Lithendel stood in the doorway, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Lithendel!" Elrohir exclaimed, still surprised at the commander's sudden appearance. "You got here sooner than I thought you would!"

The raven-haired elf smiled slightly. "My lord, it may be later than you thought."

The twins and Aragorn blinked, and then looked outside. Sure enough, the sun was already setting, barely visible over the colored horizon. "Wow, it is pretty late," Elrohir admitted.

"Yes, and I think you should go and rest," Elrond said.

Aragorn, Elladan and Elrohir once again jumped in surprise. "Does everybody just see some good reason to scare us today?" Elrohir muttered.

"What about Legolas, ada?" Aragorn asked. "How is he?"

Elrond looked away slightly. "His throat is still swelling slowly. If it keeps up, all he will be able to do is breathe," he said quietly.

"No…" the sons of Elrond whispered simultaneously.

"And I heard every word that you said, and I will not permit any of you three to travel to Weathertop and find the _elessfea_."

"But ada, we can't let Legolas suffer!" Elladan countered. "_Please_ let us go to Weathertop! We'll avoid any orcs!"

Sighing, the elven lord ran a hand through his hair. "Elladan…"

"And I'll go with him!" Elrohir added.

Elrond was about to reply to this when Lithendel spoke. "My lord, if it is any consolation at all, I would gladly accompany them to protect them," he said, bowing low.

"But…"

"Please ada, we want to help Legolas!" Elladan pleaded.

Elrond sighed in defeat. "Fine, but if ether of you come back with a broken bone or poisoned, you are both going to be locked away!"

With a happy cry, both twins hugged their father before rushing past Aragorn and Lithendel to ready their weapons…and perhaps raid the kitchen and herb stock yet again.

Elrond shook his head. "Those two…" He continued muttering after that, saying something about 'stubborn' and so on.

Aragorn walked over to his father, putting a consulting hand on his shoulder. "They'll be fine ada," he said.

"Of course they will," Elrond answered, as if saying it more to reassure himself.

"My lord, I am sorry to interrupt, but may I have a talk with you for a moment? In private?" Lithendel requested.

The lord of Imladris turned his head to look at Lithendel. The elven commander looked nervous about the news he was about to reveal, fidgeting slightly as he stood near the doorway.

"Of course Lithendel," he replied as he followed after Lithendel. "Estel, watch over Legolas please."

"Yes, ada," came the answer.

Elrond closed the door behind him, and motioned for Lithendel to follow him down the corridor and into another hallway. "You can't be too careful with my sons," he said simply. Then he turned and looked at Lithendel. "Now, what is it that you have to tell me?"

Lithendel closed his eyes. "My lord, I questioned one of the orcs as to what their motives were for attacking, and who they're leader is," he said in a soft voice.

Elrond started getting nervous from the tone that Lithendel spoke in, and what he was speaking of. "And?" he prodded, trying to get Lithendel to keep going.

The elven commander was silent for awhile before he answered. "And…their motive was to kill every elf in Imladris."

The elven lord's eyes went wide.

"And they said that their leader…is…Sauron."

**-**

**-**

**-**

_**Oh! A race against time is now beginning,  
**_**_We'll see which side will come out winning,  
_****_Our heroes, all so dashing and skilled?  
_****_Or the orcs, who are all better off killed?_**

**Dun dun DUN! (lol!) Sorry again for the long wait! #runs# Eep! Don't hurt me! I need to finish the story, remember?**


	9. Journey for the Antidote!

**Erm…yeah…remember me? #gets pelted with sharp objects# ACK!**

**Sorry minna-san…things just happened right after another! First, my mom asked me to cut some roses from a rose bush in our front yard…and I forgot one thing…roses have thorns. _Sharp_ thorns. I got a deep cut on the back of my right hand; it stretched across my whole hand, and it hurt to move it, so I couldn't type.**

**And then came a big hail storm…not something that's very usual in my town. Lots of things were damaged, including our roof and my dad's truck.**

**And then of course, last minute projects in school. C'mon, what kind of teacher gives us a project on the last week of school? Honestly!**

**But…despite all of this…I managed to work on almost every story I have right now! I also might write a one-shot for LOTR, and maybe a – nope, never mind, I wont tell you 'till the last chapter! Haha, I'm so mean!**

**And today is my birthday! (May 30th) Ohhh, I'm so happy, I got a golden retriever puppy! She's so cute, she's 7 weeks old and loves to play in the water, whether it's in her little swimming pool or her water bowl! And for that, I call her Mizu! It means 'water' in Japanese! Yay for Mizu!**

**And guess what? You get a present too! A nice, extra-long chapter! YAY!**

**-**

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**Chapter 9 – Journey for the Antidote!**

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Elrond's heart skipped a beat as Lithendel's words sank in. _Valar…Is he really rising once again?..._"That is what the orc said?" Elrond asked softly, wishing that he had misinterpreted the commander's words.

"I'm afraid so, my lord," Lithendel answered sorrowfully.

_Ai, I heard correctly…_"Did the orc say if Sauron was with them? Or mayhap with another group, if there is one?"

The color drained quickly off of Lithendel's face. "Valar! I never asked that! Oh Elbereth, it will be my fault if we're caught off-guard by him, or if-"

"Lithendel, stop!" Elrond commanded. The elven warrior quickly stopped talking, looking with wide eyes at his lord. "It is not your fault, Lithendel."

Lithendel didn't look convinced. "But if I hadn't let my anger get the best of me-"

Elrond sighed. "Please Lithendel, stop blaming yourself. Right now, we have to get rid of the orcs, and find the antidote for the _Dínencuil._"

"I'm sorry, my lord. Please excuse me for that outburst," the raven-haired commander said, bowing low.

The elven lord waved a hand. "You need not worry about that Lithendel. Right now, I require you to prepare a force to go into the woods, and assign someone in your place while you are gone."

Lithendel looked mournful at that. "Yes…I will find someone…"

Elrond was about to say something else, before suddenly realizing that he had reopened a painful wound that his commander had. _Of course his first pick would be Rilen…_Feeling ashamed for hurting a friend like that, the elven lord quickly tried to amend for what he had said. "Lithendel, I'm-"

"Do not worry, my lord," Lithendel said before Elrond could continue. "I know someone that I can ask." With that, the raven-haired commander turned and walked away toward the courtyard, where he knew that some of his comrades would be. "I will meet with Elladan and Elrohir at the gates as soon as I can," he called over his shoulder before turning into another hallway.

Elrond still felt abash for his commander's pain, but as he watched Lithendel's retreating form, he saw something new. _Wait…that bow and quiver…they're..._

- - - - - - - - - - 

Aragorn sat in a chair next to Legolas' bed, placing another cool cloth to his friend's fevered forehead. "Ai, this is my fault…" he whispered as he saw the pain lines that were marring the elf's face. _It should have been me that was hit with the arrow!_

Legolas was starting to move in restlessly in a fitful sleep as Aragorn heard the door open, and his father walk in. The Lord of Imladris walked tiredly to another chair that was next to Legolas' bed, and let out a sigh, making him appear older than what he looked like.

"How is Legolas?" Elrond asked quietly.

Aragorn frowned slightly. _Is he stalling at something…?_ "His fever is still slightly high, but the wounds on his leg and arm are healing. The slash on his leg is no longer infected either."

When Elrond stayed quiet, Aragorn decided to ask the burning question in his mind. "Ada, what did Lithendel say?" Aragorn asked as anxiety and dread both crept up on him.

Elrond heaved another tired sigh before answering. "Lithendel has told me…that the orcs intend to kill all of the elves in Imladris."

Aragorn gasped, absolutely horror-struck.

"And…that their leader is-"

"My lord! My lord!"

Elrond and Aragorn both abruptly turned toward the door as a servant burst unceremoniously through the door.

The Lord of Imladris quickly stood up in alarm as the servant panted to catch his breath.

"What has happened!" Elrond asked, worried by the distressed and fearful look on the servant's face.

The servant took a deep breath before revealing the news he brought, "My lord, orcs have been seen near Imladris by one of the patrols!"

- - - - - - - - - - 

Lithendel raced across the courtyard as he continued toward the training grounds. One of the guards had just recently told him that another band of orcs were spotted just a little away from Imladris. Just maybe an hour more and the hideous beasts could be creating madness in Imladris! The mere thought sent panic coursing through Lithendel's mind, causing to run even faster. As he neared the training grounds, he could already see chaos. Patrols were hurrying away to see if anymore orcs were coming in any other direction, besides the one they were already coming from. And the direction that they're coming from is Mordor.

Warriors were frantically trying to see what they could do as even more warriors poured out of Rivendell. Lithendel slowed to a stop as he observed the chaos. He didn't like this. Not one bit.

Lithendel scanned the warriors, looking for his most skilled and decisive warrior…besides Rilen. He took off running again as he spotted just the warrior he was looking for – the noble warrior Narentil.

Narentil had dark raven hair, and was a seasoned warrior. He was older than Lithendel, and had been through the last of the Great War. Narentil had been Lithendel's mentor as he was growing up, and seemed like a second father to the commander.

"Narentil! Narentil!"

The said elf turned around, his eyes falling on a frantic-looking commander. "Lithendel! I was wondering where you were amid all of this chaos," he greeted despite the tense moment.

"Narentil, I need you to guard Rivendell in my absence," Lithendel said, going straight to the point.

Narentil raised an eyebrow. "Absence? Where are you going at a time like this?"

"I am accompanying Elladan and Elrohir to Weathertop, so that we can find the cure for the poison that ails Prince Legolas," Lithendel explained quickly.

"Poison? What poison is this?" Narentil asked, curious.

"The _Dínencuil._"

"Ai, a grave poison indeed," Narentil said with a somber expression. "Well, worry not Lithendel; I will guard Rivendell with my life."

Lithendel nodded sadly. "Thank you." He turned to walk away, but Narentil's voice stopped him before he got too far. "That's not yours, is it?" the raven-haired warrior called amid the noise around them.

The commander turned slightly in the direction of Narentil, knowing what he meant. The bow and quiver that Lithendel wore weren't his; they were Rilen's. Back in the forest, as Lithendel was gathering his troops to leave, a warrior had rushed over to him, calling as he did so. When Lithendel turned to answer the call, his eyes widened in recognition at what the warrior was carrying. They were none other than Rilen's elegant bow and quiver.

The said bow and quiver had elegant designs decorating it, and were hand-crafted by some of the best elven blacksmiths. The elf that had brought them handed them wordlessly to Lithendel as the commander accepted them with slightly trembling hands. The warrior didn't have to say that he found them at the battle site where the guards and orcs clashed. The bow and quiver of his best friend were in mint condition considering the battle they had been through. The quiver was full of broken arrows, and the bow's string had snapped, but those were the only things that were wrong with the fine weapon.

Lithendel wrapped the bow and quiver in a spare cloth that one of the warriors had, before starting back for Rivendell. _Now I have something to always reminded me of you, Rilen._

"No…this is not mine," Lithendel answered after awhile.

"What happened?" Narentil asked quietly.

Lithendel quickly explained going to find Aragorn and Legolas, and learning of Rilen and his patrol's death. Narentil's face showed deep sorrow for his commander as Lithendel concluded the story.

"I am sorry Lithendel."

Lithendel nodded silently, unable to think of anything to say. It still made his mind numb when thinking of a life without his longtime friend.

Suddenly, he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. Lithendel looked up, meeting Narentil's sympathetic gaze.

"I know you loved Rilen like you would a brother. But right now, Prince Legolas needs your help. And Rivendell will need your help if these attacks are happening when you return. Rilen will always be with you, Lithendel," Narentil said, keeping a steady gaze on Lithendel.

Looking in the direction of the stables, Lithendel could see two guards leading the twin's faithful horses, Uial and Lúme, towards the courtyard. Elladan and Elrohir were running back inside, most likely to say goodbye to their father, Aragorn and Legolas before they leave.

Lithendel nodded again. "Goodbye and good luck, Narentil."

"And the same to you, Lithendel."

- - - - - - - - - - 

Silence reigned throughout the room after the servant delivered the ill news. Tension and anxiety followed immediately after, so thick it was almost palpable.

"They are coming this way," Elrond repeated quietly.

The servant gulped slightly at the hard glint in his lord's eyes. "Y-yes, my lord."

Elrond was silent for a moment before he started issuing orders, readying himself and his people for a fight. "Then I need you to gather every elf in Rivendell and lead them into the kitchen. Tell any other servants you meet to help you, and leave no elf out."

The servant looked nervous as it stammered, "B-but my lord, what about you?"

Elrond smiled slightly. "I am going to stay here with Legolas and Estel."

"But my lord! You will not be safe here!" the servant protested.

Aragorn stood up at that, glaring slightly at the servant. "I will protect him."

The servant's eyes showed a trace of doubt at those words as he looked at Aragorn's broken left arm. "You are not well, my lord," he stated.

Aragorn narrowed his eyes. "I am well enough to fight!"

Elrond gazed at Aragorn with a small smile. "You're not going to fight with a broken arm, Estel."

Just as Aragorn was about to say something else, Elladan, Elrohir, and Lithendel rushed through the doorway, almost running straight into the startled servant that was still standing there.

"Okay!" Elladan said as he quickly hugged his father and then Estel. "We've come for a quick goodbye!"

Elrond studied his son's faces. "A quick goodbye or a quick escape?"

"Oh ada," Elrohir protested, "We're not Estel and Legolas. We don't have to take as many herbs!"

"Hey!" Aragorn said, slightly offended. He clout Elrohir over the head as the twin broke away from the hug he was giving him. Elrohir grumbled slightly as he rubbed his hurt head.

Chuckling slightly at the display his sons were giving, he turned to the smiling commander that was observing everything as well. The servant had already gone to inform the other servants and elves of the impending danger.

"Lithendel, I have one last favor to ask before you leave," Elrond said.

"Of course my lord, anything you need," Lithendel responded as he bowed.

"On your way out, ask if three guards could be spared to help guard this room."

Knowing already the reason why Elrond was staying, Lithendel nodded. "That I'll do, my lord."

Elrond smiled. "Thank you Lithendel. Make sure my sons stay out of trouble on your trip, please."

Lithendel bowed again. "Of course my lord. I'll protect them with my life."

"Geez ada, you know we don't get into that much trouble!" Elrohir protested.

"Oh, right, my mistake. You two _make_ the trouble. Legolas and Estel are the ones who _get_ into trouble," Elrond said with a smile.

The twins groaned as everyone else laughed. "_Very_ funny ada," Elladan said with a deadpanned look.

"Yeah, we're dying of laughter," Elrohir added with a similar expression.

Still grumbling at the jest, the twins walked over to Legolas' bed. "We'll be back as soon as we can Legolas," Elladan said.

"And we expect you to be right here waiting!" Elrohir quipped.

Elladan and Elrohir were starting to walk away when they heard a barely audible voice say,

"What, no hug for me?"

The twins quickly spun around, eyes wide as they rushed back to the bed. Legolas turned his head to look at them, his usually bright eyes showing pain at how weak his voice was.

"We're sorry mellon-nin; we didn't know you were awake!" Elrohir apologized as he gave Legolas a hug.

"But remember what we said! We want you waiting here for the antidote! And we better find you in one piece!" Elladan said, tapping Legolas' forehead after giving him a hug.

"Fine…but…where are you going?" Legolas asked, albeit confused at the events that were unfolding.

Everybody else in the room looked uneasily at each other. _That's right, Legolas didn't hear about the poison, or the antidote…_

"Well…" Elrond paused, trying to find the right words. "It's like they said, they're going to get the antidote for your poison."

"Where?" Legolas asked, trying to speak as little as possible. _Ai, it hurts to speak!_

"Weathertop."

Legolas still wasn't satisfied. "When?"

Elrond sighed, knowing what would happen soon. "Right now."

The golden-haired prince cringed slightly. "That bad?"

Elrond fidgeted slightly; a rare sight to see. "Well…" _I don't want to tell him about the poison…It will devastate him…_

Elladan saw the tight spot his father was in. "_Well,_ it looks like we should be going now! Er…the sooner we find that herb, the better!"

If it wasn't for the situation, Elrohir might've laughed. _I don't think Elladan really helped ada out. He just left him to explain the whole thing!_

Laughing nervously at the look in Elrond's eyes, Elladan grabbed Elrohir and half pulled and half pushed him to the door. "We'll be going now! We'll be back as soon as we can! Bye!"

Lithendel smiled slightly at the sight before turning toward Elrond. "I'll send some guards in case anything happens," he said. The commander knew that anything could happen; best be prepared.

Elrond nodded. "Thank you Lithendel. Please, protect my sons and hurry back."

"Of course," Lithendel promised, bowing first to Elrond, and then to Aragorn and Legolas before leaving.

Aragorn sighed. "I hope they find it quickly…"

"They will," Elrond said, before any scenarios could enter his mind. He walked over to the table where various herbs were, and picked up a empty cup and a pitcher of water. He poured water into the cup before adding herbs. "But first…" he glanced at Legolas, and saw the prince's silver eyes looking at him, a penetrating look in them. "I think someone wants some answers."

Aragorn looked at Legolas, then back at his father. "Should he rest first?" At this, Legolas turned his gaze away from Elrond and glared at Aragorn. Legolas didn't need to say anything. Aragorn was getting the message; 'I want answers **now**!"

Elrond sighed as he sat in the abandoned chair next to Legolas' bed. "I know you want answers now penneth, but…you might want to be well-rested before you get them."

Legolas sighed as best he could. _Rest? They want me to **rest** right now?_

Elrond handed the cup to Legolas. "Drink, Legolas."

The prince shook his head stubbornly, refusing to take the potion.

The Lord of Imladris frowned impatiently. "Legolas, you will only get answers if you rest."

With a frustrated growl, Legolas took the offered cup and drank it quickly, before wincing in pain at what he made his throat go through.

Aragorn's eyes widened. "Legolas, you shouldn't drink that quickly!" he exclaimed.

Elrond quickly snatched the cup away. "That was foolish Legolas! You'll only hurt yourself more if you act like this!"

Silence followed Elrond's words as Legolas sighed before wincing again. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Elrond sighed, getting up from the chair to throw the empty cup away. "Just get some rest, Legolas. We'll be here when you awaken."

Aragorn nodded, sitting in the chair Elrond just left. "You'll get answers when you wake up. Rest for now."

Legolas rolled his eyes, while mumbling "You don't have to say it so many times, I get it…" After that, his eyes closed and his breathing became quiet as he fell asleep.

Elrond shook his head. "He's too stubborn."

Aragorn smiled slightly. "That's the way he is."

"As well as you."

"I'm not as stubborn!"

"Are you sure?"

Aragorn grumbled as a few quiet knocks were heard outside of the door. Elrond quietly walked to the door, opening it to see who was there.

Six guards stood in the hallway, ready to protect their lord, the future heir of Gondor, and the prince of Mirkwood. One of the guards stepped forward, his posture ready to protect. "We are here to guard this room, my lord!" he said, while his comrades nodded an affirmative.

_Thank you Lithendel…_Elrond nodded. "Thank you. What is going on outside? Where are the orcs?" he asked.

The guards looked troubled at that. "They're closer…only a few hours away."

"The army is ready?"

"Yes."

"Who is leading in Commander Lithendel's absence?"

"Narentil."

Elrond closed his eyes. _A good choice. He will lead the army well._

The guard cleared his throat hesitantly before speaking again. "My lord, may we take our positions?"

Elrond quickly snapped out of his thoughts. "Of course," he said, opening the door wider. Two of the guards walked through the room and went to the balcony, standing on either side, while the other four stayed outside of the room.

Aragorn looked at the two groups of guards before Elrond closed the door. _We might need help for this fight…_

- - - - - - - - - - 

Legolas slowly came to consciences, his mind still groggy from sleep. Noise filled the air, noise of metal against metal, and yells of outrage. Legolas stretched slightly, his tired mind not fully comprehending the situation yet. Suddenly, he could hear wild yells from outside of the door. His eyes snapped open, and he struggled to sit up. He froze as he looked at the room.

Two guards on the balcony lay dead on the floor of it, black arrows protruding from various places on their bodies. Aragorn was gripping his sword tightly as he watched the door intently. Elrond also held a sword, and gasped when he saw Legolas sitting up. Now sounds of a battle were heard outside of the door.

"Legolas! You need to lie back down, and stay under the covers!" Elrond commanded, trying to make Legolas lie down.

"No!" Legolas shouted, ignoring his protesting throat. "I'm going to fight!"

Elrond glanced back at the door, as a scream of pain was heard amid the noise. "Legolas, you're in no condition to fight—"

"Neither is he!" Legolas protested, glaring at Aragorn, whose broken arm was still in a sling.

Elrond sighed. "Legolas…"

"ADA!"

Elrond whipped around at Aragorn's yell. The door came crashing down to the floor as orcs charged into the room. Armed with arrows, clubs, and swords, they attacked Aragorn with fierce and bloodthirsty battle cries.

Legolas' eyes widened at the scene before him…

…it seemed to all happen in slow motion…

…Aragorn was overpowered as the orcs targeted his broken arm, smashing their clubs against it, before slashing him with their swords…

…Elrond was pierced with a black arrow as he ran to help Aragorn…

…they still fought…

…and then an orc strayed past the battle inside of the room, heading straight for Legolas…

…he raised his sword high as Legolas' eyes widened even more in fear…

…before everything went black.

**-**

**-**

**-**

_**Er…long time now see,**_

_**And look, it's a present from me;**_

_**An extra special cliffy!**_

**Don't kill…it's my birthday! -.-;; HELP!**


	10. Orcs, orcs, and more orcs!

**Erm…hello minna-san? #readers wake up from waiting# Er…sorry for taking so long? #readers pick up sharp objects that they were laying next to# NOOOO! I'M SORRY! #readers start throwing the sharp objects# Aiiiiii!**

**Nah, really, I'm sorry everybody. Camp, volunteer, and some summer stuff overtook my typing time! Although my Strings Camp (it's for all string instruments: violin, cello, etc.) was fun. We played some cool songs. I'm violin! I was Violin I, 5th chair! Cool! -.-;;**

**And two years ago at that strings camp, guess what we played? PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN! It was so cool! And somebody played percussion with the string orchestra! #sighs# I luv playing that song…And speaking of PotC, whose seen the second one? IT WAS AWESOME! Ahhh, Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp…#swoon#**

**Yay! My summer vacation is coming up! First were gonna go to Corpus Christi and see the Texas State Aquarium and the USS Lexington. Wohoo! And then we're going to Six Flags Fiesta Texas! Fun! Vacation right before school! Boy will I be tired (lol). I promise to type on the road!**

**Last thing is…me thinking that I'm psychic and/or psych_o_. I had a dream of Pirates of the Caribbean! Surprisingly enough, it helped me with this chapter…I had writer's block on a part of it, and the dream helped me…weird! My other dream was…even weirder. I had a dream that something bit me on my right arm (can't remember what), and I woke up right afterwards…with my arm hurting like hell, and a bruise forming next to my elbow! My God, I'm going crazy!**

**And thank goes to Katie for pointing out one of my mistakes! Hopefully all of them are now fixed! Please everybody, don't be afraid to write long reviews, say your opinion, or point out my mistakes! Feel free to do that!**

**And after this chapter, I'll tell you why I now think that this fic is cursed. Till then, read please! And I'm sorry, this chapter's slightly shorter than some of the others!**

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**Chapter 10 – Orcs, orcs, and more orcs!**

**-**

**-**

**-**

_**Legolas' eyes widened at the scene before him…**_

…_**it seemed to all happen in slow motion…**_

…_**Aragorn was overpowered as the orcs targeted his broken arm, smashing their clubs against it, before slashing him with their swords…**_

…_**Elrond was pierced with a black arrow as he ran to help Aragorn…**_

…_**they still fought…**_

…_**and then an orc strayed past the battle inside of the room, heading straight for Legolas…**_

…_**he raised his sword high as Legolas' eyes widened even more in fear…**_

…_**before everything went black.**_

"No!"

"_..Legolas!.."_

"**No!"**

"_LEGOLAS!"_

Legolas' eyes quickly opened, his breath coming in quick gasps. Elrond was on his right side, trying to hold Legolas' arm down as gently as he could with one hand, the other holding down his leg. Aragorn was on his right side, holding down his left arm with one hand, but Legolas' left leg was left alone; the human's left arm was still broken after all. Aragorn was also sporting a new bruise on his right arm. Legolas blinked in confusion. _When did that happen?_

Aragorn sighed in relief, loosening his hold on his friend. "Finally you've calmed down."

Elrond mimicked the sigh and also loosened his hold. "Aye, you were putting up quite a fight. What is wrong Legolas?"

Legolas had started looking wildly around the room as soon as Aragorn and Elrond had loosed their hold. "Th-the orcs, they were in here—"

"Calm down penneth, be at peace. There are no orcs in this room the last time I checked," Elrond said, trying to mollify Legolas.

Aragorn nodded. "Yes, nothing besides an elf who fights in his sleep, and punches and kicks like there's no tomorrow!" he said, trying to lighten the situation.

Legolas sighed as best he could, considering his swollen throat. "But the dream was so vivid…"

Elrond sat in the chair next to Legolas' bed. "It is best not to worry about things like this, Legolas. We are safe here."

The golden-haired elf looked like he was about to start talking again, when a scratchy-sounding gasp emitted from his throat as pain lanced up and down his throat. _I guess I've been talking too much…_he thought in dismay, even though it was only two sentences.

But Elrond was prepared. He reached over to the bedside table and grabbed a cup. "Here, Legolas," he said, lifting the cup to Legolas' lips. "Drink this."

Legolas obliged, before giving Elrond and Aragorn a look that said, 'Prepared, huh?'

The father and son laughed softly as Legolas slowly drank the contents of the cup. Elrond didn't want to say that they had to take the best care possible of Legolas' throat before…before he lost his voice. _Whether the damage to his throat and voice will be temporary or permanent, I cannot be sure…_

When Legolas finished the drink, he started to sit up. Aragorn rushed over, propping pillows behind the elf's back. "Legolas, what are you doing! You still need to rest!"

Legolas shook his head, before looking at Aragorn and Elrond. "I've rested long enough," he said, his regular voice now hardly a whisper. "Answers. _Now._"

Elrond seemed to still debate this, but Aragorn sighed and said, "Ada, he has rested…"

"But he didn't rest long!" Elrond protested. _Ai, and I still do not have the heart to tell him of the poison…_

"Long enough," Legolas said, his arms folded.

"Ada, we have to tell him."

Elrond was silent for a minute, before finally sighing and then asking Legolas, "Penneth, you are ready?"

Legolas inwardly flinched at the way Elrond was so hesitant, but nodded.

Elrond took a deep breath before launching into his explanation…

- - - - - - - - - - 

Narentil's brow was furrowed in concentration as shouts and yells could be heard distantly. _No doubt about it…the orcs are coming._ All around and behind him he could hear the rest of the elves shifting restlessly. Narentil knew what they were thinking; _Orcs attacking Imladris?_ Hardly anybody could recount an attack like this one. But…the reason why was what the elves were especially nervous about. Sauron was their leader.

But because Imladris was hardly ever attacked, except by some rouge groups of orcs, their army wasn't the big…it was a good-sized army, but not big. That's what made Narentil worry; nobody really knew how big the group of orcs that were coming was.

Then Narentil remembered what Aragorn had said to him a little while ago…

_Elves were still running, but this time not in chaos. Guards and soldiers were dashing to their positions, whether it be as an archer or swordsman, or maybe even both, everybody was running somewhere. Amid the nervous soldiers was a human, looking for a certain stand-in commander…_

"_Narentil! Narentil!"_

_The elf in question turned toward the sound of the voice, slightly surprised to find Aragorn running towards him._

"_Hello my lord," Narentil said, before bowing. "It's unusual to see you here; Lithendel told me that you were watching over Prince Legolas."_

_Aragorn sighed. "Well, I'm glad you can be so calm right now."_

_Narentil gave the human a slight smile. "A commander cannot look panicked in front of his already-anxious soldiers."_

"_True…" Aragorn said, running a hand through his hair. "But I didn't come for conversation."_

_The raven-haired elf nodded, assuming as much. "Please say what you need to then, my lord."_

"_I wanted to let you know that I sent a missive to Mirkwood, asking for reinforcements to help with this attack," Aragorn informed Narentil._

_A smile graced Narentil's face as he bowed. "You have my thanks, as well as the rest of the soldiers, for that my lord."_

"_Yeah, well I don't think Legolas is going to thank me as quickly," Aragorn grumbled._

_Narentil raised an eyebrow. "And why not, my lord?"_

"_Because ada made me write about the poison that ails Legolas."_

_Narentil smiled slightly. "Does that mean?..."_

_Aragorn sighed in defeat. "Yes…that probably means his father is coming too."_

Narentil shook his head slightly at the thought. _King Thranduil will not be happy at all…_

- - - - - - - - - - 

The forest was silent, save for the sound of hooves pounding the ground as three horses rode through the green forest. Elladan, Elrohir, and Lithendel were riding their horses through the foliage covering the ground and trees. Each had a determined expression on their face. Right after the three had mounted their horses at Rivendell, one of the elf guards ran up to them and led them to a part of the forest that they were sure was clear of orcs…for now. So far, the ride had been uneventful; meaning that they hadn't run into any orcs…yet.

Up ahead of them, a small stream trickled down from a formation of rocks; it probably went into the river that Aragorn and Legolas had been at. Elladan glanced at the stream as the three horses ran across it, splashing water everywhere. "Weathertop shouldn't be too far now," Elladan told the two other elves. "This stream is close to Weathertop."

"How much longer do you think it will take us to get there now?" Elrohir asked.

"…I think only maybe a – ahh!" Elladan was cut off from his sentence as Uial neighed in fright and reared onto his hind legs, throwing his front legs in fright. Elladan, who had been busy thinking about how much longer they had to ride, was caught off-guard by this sudden movement; he yelled as he was thrown backwards and fell to the ground hard.

"Elladan!" Elrohir yelled as he pulled on the reins of Lúme, causing him to stop. Lithendel did the same to Gailim. As the younger elf rushed toward his hurt twin, Lithendel looked at what had made Uial to be so frightened, while tending to the scared horse. The commander's had stopped stroking Uial's mane as he saw what had scared the horse…

…a black arrow.

Quickly whipping out his bow and an arrow, Lithendel shouted a warning to the twins; "Elladan! Elrohir! There are orcs here!"

Elrohir quickly nocked an arrow to his bow, searching for any orcs in sight. Suddenly, a gang of orcs rushed out of the bushes, seven with swords and two with crossbows, already ready for shooting. Lithendel wasted no time in shooting down one of the orcs with the crossbows, while Elrohir picked of the other. The orcs were already nearly upon them, and Lithendel only had enough time to kill one more orc before having to put up his bow and pulling out his sword. Elrohir was still near Elladan, and had more distance between him and the band of orcs. He kept shooting at the orcs, standing near his brother's body the entire time. When there were only two orcs left, Elrohir decided that he could take a quick glance and see how Elladan was doing. The last he saw, Elladan had his eyes closed, and Elrohir wanted to see what was wrong. Elrohir turned around, and his eyes went wide with fear at what he saw.

An orc was standing not to far from his and Elladan…an orc with a crossbow.

An orc with a crossbow pointed right at Elladan.

- - - - - - - - - - 

Legolas stared at his hands as he numbly went over what Elrond had told him. _Lose…my voice? Never to talk again? That can't be possible…_

Elrond and Aragorn looked at Legolas nervously, their hands fidgeting slightly with anxiety. Ever since Elrond had finished telling Legolas of the _Dínencuil_, he had been quietly staring at his hands, a look of dismay and loss on his face. Aragorn finally couldn't take it anymore, and walked over to the chair on the left side of Legolas' bed. The devastated elf barely even acknowledged Aragorn as the human put a comforting hand on Legolas' left hand. "Mellon-nin...remember what we just said. Elladan, Elrohir, and Lithendel are getting the _elessfea_ right now! It wont be long before they come back, ada can make the antidote, and then your throat will be healed. It…just might take a little time…" Aragorn trailed off as he thought of how his best friend was feeling right now came to him.

"It's okay, Estel…" Legolas said hoarsely, the look of dismay and loss still on his face. "I'll wait…" _But how long will I have to wait? Ai, to live without talking…singing…and sooner or later, maybe even breathing._ Closing his eyes, he sighed softly. He needed some fresh air. Legolas looked up at Elrond, opening his eyes, which almost had a pleading look in them. "Outside?"

Elrond and Aragorn both knew what he meant. Elrond slightly bowed his head; he knew that Legolas wanted to go outside to hear the trees, to breathe fresh air, and to see and feel the sun. "I am sorry Legolas, you cannot go outside."

Legolas looked questionly at the older elf, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You apologized for it. It's not a strict order?" The sentence was longer than what he could handle, and Legolas started coughing again, his face showing how much it hurt as his body shook with each cough.

Elrond hurried to make the same drink that Legolas had had before while Aragorn tried to help his best friend through his coughing fit. Legolas breathed shakily as the coughing subsided, and almost snatched the cup from Elrond when he came close to his bed. _Ai, this pain is horrible! I never knew a swollen throat could be so painful…although I know what many other injuries feel like._ Legolas mouth twitched slightly upward from the thought as he finished the drink. Elrond and Aragorn both looked oddly at Legolas, both thinking the same thing; _What the heck does he find funny?_

"Legolas, what are you thinking?" Elrond asked, unable to quell his curiosity.

The golden-haired elf's mouth twitched upward again as he got a weird look on his face. "So many injuries…"

Both Elrond and Aragorn chuckled slightly at that. "Isn't that the truth…"

Legolas shook his head slightly, remembering why his coughing fit had started in the first place. "Outside. Why?" he whispered, trying to use as few words as possible.

Elrond and Aragorn glanced at each other. _What do we say?_ "Well, you see mellon-nin…" Aragorn started, "outside's not the best place right now…" At Legolas inquiring gaze, Aragorn sighed in defeat. "Okay, outside isn't the _safest_ place right now. For anybody."

Legolas didn't even need to speak at this. His look was clear: 'Why?'

"Because…of the orcs." Legolas gaped at the human and elf at this. "Orcs? More?" he asked.

Elrond nodded gravely as Aragorn gave a short explanation on how Lithendel had found out about the orcs goal; to kill every elf in Imladris. And who's to say that they would stop there? _Mirkwood could be next!_ Legolas thought frantically, immediately thinking of his father. "Mirkwood?" Legolas whispered in fear.

The lord of Imladris looked away. "We're not sure Legolas…but we have sent a missive to your father earlier in the morning. We asked for assistance, as Mirkwood has a larger army than we do. And…we also said…" Elrond fidgeted slightly as the sentence drifted off.

A look of fear crossed Legolas' face. If not for the situation, Aragorn would have laughed. "You told him!" Legolas said as he blanched in horror.

Aragorn scratched his head sheepishly. "Afraid so mellon-nin."

Legolas buried his head in his hands. "Ai…"

Elrond smiled slightly at the expression. "You know we have to tell him. What if he had come himself, and then he would see you here, poisoned without his knowing. He would be more furious that he would if he had already known."

Legolas looked like he was about to say something, but stopped. His eyes widened in horror.

But the older elf didn't see the expression, and continued. "And if the guards had come, word surely would have gotten back to your father…Legolas? What's wrong?" Elrond looked in concern at Legolas, who had his right hand loosely around his throat, his eyes still widened in panic.

Before anybody could say anything else, an anxious voice was heard on the other side of the door, apparently arguing with the four elven guards.

"I need to go in! I have to talk to Lord Elrond!" a male voice shouted.

"You must tell us what your business with Lord Elrond is. We cannot have you simply barging in," a guard stated.

But before the voice could answer, Elrond hurriedly walked to the door and opened it. "What is this noise about?" he asked. The guards started slightly, and the elf that was there looked relieved. By the looks of it, the elf was an archer, most likely ready to help in the battle with the orcs.

"My lord, I have a message from Sir Narentil!" the archer said, a mixture of fear and anxiety on his face.

_Couldn't he have told one of the guards? Legolas needs rest…Although this archer looks so anxious that he probably didn't think of it…_"Yes? What is the message?" he asked.

"The orcs! They're here!

- - - - - - - - - - 

Hulking figures wrapped in black cloaks sneered as the sound of yelling met their ears. Up ahead, many forms were seen darting everywhere, weapons clanging against their backs and waists.

Three shadowed figures approached from behind the cloaked party, riding merciless-looking beasts. The vicious creatures growled as they were lead forward, eager to begin the fight. The figure riding in the middle sneered, sensing the panic of the elves.

_It's time to begin the destruction of the elves!_

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_**Oh no! They're coming!**_

_**This is no time for running,**_

_**There an antidote to be found,**_

_**And orcs to be bound!**_

**Okay, so you would kill orcs and not bind them. But I'm in a rush, and that's all I could think of. Sorry! Not my best poem I guess.**

**And why I think this story is cursed…because through the first half of July, my throat hurt horribly, and I could hardly talk! I think this story caused it…**

**And PLEASE everybody, PLEASE REVIEW! Reviews mean the world to me, the make me incredibly happy and inspire me to write more, and to improve my writing! So please review, and please forgive me for my erratic updating. Ciao for now!**


	11. Silence Isn't Golden

**#rises up from the ground# I'M ALIVE!!!!! Lol!**

**Yup, another incredibly, horribly, "I'm going to kill you D.D.Z. for being so late" update from me! He he!**

**Yeah…well…some not so great things happened at first…including my cousin getting in a car crash. Yeah. I felt incredibly sad – I know I could have done _something_ – and I went into a type of depression, constantly keeping her company whenever I could. Hm…if you've read adromir's 'Manyan Series', you'll know Kel, and how guilty he feels when Legolas get's hurt…yeah, I felt like that. But, now she's all better, and for that, I'm thankful. And of course, people just _had_ to tell her how I cried when I found out about the crash. But, she appreciated it. She gave me a big hug. :)**

**Yup, and then I started working on this story again, 'cause I was so happy! And, what inspired me even more, is when my mom and dad bought me the entire LOTR trilogy on DVD – Special Edition! I jumped for joy! #jumps again# Yay! But then, I had to pull myself away from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess to finish the chapter! #sweatdrop# I'm obsessed with that game right now!**

**Thus, here I am, giving you a new update! And it's long too! Just for my readers! Thanks for sticking with me! #hugs#**

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**Chapter 11 – Silence isn't Golden.**

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Elrohir was frozen in horror as he saw the orc pointing the crossbow at his own twin brother. The orc gave him a nasty sneer, as if daring Elrohir to move. _What do I do!_ Elrohir's mind screamed. _If I move, the orc will shoot Elladan! But he probably will shoot Elladan anyways after awhile. I have to act fast!_ An idea came to mind as Elrohir chanced a quick glance in Lithendel's direction. The commander was slaying the last of the orcs, driving _Urya'dur_ through the orc's stomach, making dark blood pour out of the orc and form a black puddle beneath the foul creature. Lithendel looked over his shoulder at the twins, and quickly saw and understood the situation.

Elrohir nervously bit his lip as he tried to think of something. But the orc in front of him had other plans. It shifted the crossbow in a better position before time seemed to slow down…

…Elrohir's eyes widened as he tried to move, his mind in shock…

…as the orc let the arrow fly.

Elrohir's mind screamed as he saw the arrow fly towards his beloved twin. He himself dashed forward, hoping to prevent what was about to happen. The desperate elf dived, and he heard the arrow pierce flesh…

- - - - - - - - - -

"The orcs! They're here!"

Elrond, Aragorn, and Legolas' eyes all widened simultaneously at the horrifying information. Nobody wanted to believe what they had just heard…even if it was the truth.

_So they're here now…_Elrond thought, still having trouble believing that Imladris was being attacked. The elder elf closed his eyes for a moment, and sighed. _I hate to think like this, but I do not know how long our army can hold against an unknown number of orcs. How long will it take for reinforcements to come from Mirkwood?_ Elrond sighed again. _All I can do is wait…_

The lord of Imladris opened his elven eyes, and said quietly,"So the battle outside is about to begin…"

The archer, his eyes darting from the occupants in the room to the view beyond the balcony, timidly said, "Yes, and since the battle is about to begin…my lord, if you could please excuse me…"

Elrond nodded in understanding. "Of course. You are excused. Fight valiantly."

The archer bowed deeply. "Yes, my lord. I will honor your request." And without another word, the warrior turned around and rushed back out the door, ready to fight against the oncoming orcs.

Elrond slowly turned around, and saw the grim face of his human son, Aragorn, and the still shocked face of Legolas. A feeling of dread dropped like a dead weight as Elrond remembered how Legolas looked before the archer came. _No…_

"Legolas…"

The elf in question silently looked up, pain showing visibly in his eyes, seeming to be from both the physical pain of his throat so swollen, and from finally having lost his voice. The elder elf's heart nearly broke at the look of loss on Legolas' face. Aragorn noticed this as well, and gently held Legolas' hand in his own and gave it a comforting squeeze.

Unbidden tears formed in the golden haired elf's eyes as he shook his head in disbelief. _No…it…it's happened…my voice…my voice, it's gone!_ Horrified, he let his hand that Aragorn wasn't holding once again go loosely around his throat. _Now that it's gone…is…is it too late for the antidote to work?_ Suddenly, pain rocketed trough his throat, and he hoarsely gasped in shocked pain. _And yet the poison will continue to cause me torment! Is losing my voice not enough?_ But even as he saw two pairs of eyes instantly widen, he remembered what Elrond had said about the poison-

_Elrond's eyes looked down, away from Legolas' probing and hurt gaze. "Penneth, about how this poison works, I won't lie. You now know that it took away your presence…and then it will take away your voice, because of the swelling throat." Elrond fidgeted slightly before continuing," But…if it goes on for too long, it will also take away…your ability to breathe."_

Legolas closed his eyes tight, trying to block out the memory as he heard Elrond exclaim his name and hurriedly go to the table for more of the potion that he was giving the ailing elf. _No! This poison is too much! My only hope…is for Elladan, Elrohir and Lithendel to hurry back…_

Meanwhile, Elrond was getting ready to prepare another cup of the potion to help Legolas. To his dismay, he found that there was only a small portion left. In the background, he could hear Legolas start to cough; it sounded like it was getting more and more painful each time. _I need to go get more herbs!_ Elrond thought frantically. Quickly, he gave the last of the potion to Aragorn. "Estel, give this to Legolas. I need to hurry to my herb stock and get more herbs." He paused as Aragorn nodded in understanding and turned towards Legolas. Elrond quickly pivoted around and went straight to the door, pulling it open.

The elf lord gave one last look to Legolas and Aragorn. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he said, before the door closed.

Aragorn was about to help Legolas with the medicine, but the elf quickly grabbed the cup out of Aragorn's hands and swallowed it as fast as his throat allowed. The human winced as he realized just how much pain the orc's poison was putting him through. _And this is my fault!_

Legolas gasped as he finished the drink. His throat was still throbbing painfully, but to a more bearable level now. Before anything else, he realized just how he had gotten the potion. _I snatched it right out of Estel's hands!_ Legolas thought, ashamed of himself.

Cringing inwardly, Legolas slowly looked up, wondering what Aragorn's reaction would be. Relief swept through him as he saw that his best friend didn't have an angry reaction. Still, the elf sighed as guilt still lingered.

Aragorn saw this, and squeezed the elf's hand that he was holding. "Mellon-nin, it's alright. Is most of the pain gone? Any of it?"

Legolas nodded.

"You feel any better?"

Another nod.

"You sure?"

Another nod, with a confused expression. _Why does he keep on asking this?_

"You're leg is not bothering you badly?"

Legolas sighed inwardly before shaking his head. _If he asks me one more question, I'm going to lose it!_

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Aragorn asked as he put up three fingers.

Legolas rolled his eyes at Aragorn's joke, his expression clearing conveying his message: 'I'm going mute, not blind.'

Aragorn chuckled at Legolas reaction. "Just making sure you're okay."

Legolas gave the man a smile, showing how thankful he was for him lightening the mood a bit.

Without warning a frown came across Aragorn's features. "Forgive me mellon-nin. If it was not for me, you wouldn't be here right now."

The mute elf's eyes widened as he listened to Estel talk.

"That arrow wouldn't have hit you if it wasn't for me…" Aragorn's voice trailed off at this, and the man looked pleadingly at Legolas.

"Please forgive me Legolas, for putting you in this condition."

Legolas couldn't believe what he was hearing. _None of this is his fault! Why is he blaming himself?_

The elf took Aragorn's hand in both of his, and opened his mouth…

…but nothing but a hoarse sound came. Legolas winced at what used to be his voice. _I need to tell Estel that none of this is his fault! Damn this poison…_

Unfortunately, Aragorn took the hoarse sound as more proof as to how this was his fault. _This proves it! This proves that this is my fault!_

But he stopped his train of thought when he saw the look that Legolas was giving. Forgiveness was evident in the elf's silver eyes, while he shook his head, trying to indicate that this wasn't Aragorn's fault at all.

However, Aragorn wasn't convinced.

"But-"he began.

Legolas shook his head again.

"Legolas-"

Legolas shook his head faster.

Aragorn took a breath before saying – well, nothing.

Legolas still shook his head, before realizing that his friend didn't even say anything. The elf groaned as he put his head in one of his hands. _This is getting nowhere! I wish I was telepathic or something…_A few moments later, Legolas looked back up at Aragorn. Once again, he took one of Aragorn's hands in both of his. With everything he had, the golden-haired elf gave the man the most forgiving look he could.

Estel still had a guilty look, but said, "Do you really forgive me Legolas? Even though-"

The mute elf quickly squeezed Aragorn's hand before he could continue. _If he starts that again, we'll never get this settled!_ Still looking at Aragorn, Legolas nodded.

The man finally sighed, and Legolas knew that he at long last got through to Aragorn. _Wow, and I didn't have to say a word! Maybe I _don't_ have to be telepathic!_

"But I will do everything I can to help you through this while we wait for Elladan, Elrohir and Lithendel to return," Aragorn promised nonetheless. _They _will_ bring back the antidote. There's not a doubt in my mind._

- - - - - - - - - -

The forest became deathly quiet as the disastrous events passed. Newly exposed blood ran down Elrohir's back as he whimpered slightly from the pain. Coughing slightly, the injured elf looked up at the orc that now towered above him. Elladan lay half-beneath and half-beside to his twin. Elrohir glanced at his brother as he heard Elladan groan. _Yeah, _now_ he starts to wake up._

But before he could think anything else, a grunt sounded above him. Elrohir's head shot up to look at the orc.

The dark creature sneered as he readied his crossbow again. "How sweet. Protecting this elf, even when you both are about to die!" With deadly precision, the orc aimed his weapon so that it would hit Elrohir, right in the forehead. The orc's sneer widened as he released the arrow…

"Elladan! Elrohir!"

Elrohir gasped as he heard the yell, but didn't turn towards the source of the yell. The arrow was flying right at him…

…before, once again, it missed its original target.

There was a sharp _ping!_ as the arrow ricocheted off of the blade, and fell harmlessly on the ground. The orc growled, annoyed and angered, as he looked at the new interfering elf.

Lithendel stood his ground, _Urya'dur_ gripped tightly in his right hand. Without a word or a single blink of his eye, he ran forward, all thought focusing on killing this creature.

Cursing, the orc unsheathed his own sword, intent on doing exactly what Lithendel was thinking about – killing the opponent. He was bigger then Lithendel, and so size was on his side.

The orc parried the blow Lithendel delivered, before aiming with his crossbow with his other hand. The elf saw this, and twisted around as the arrow flew off into the distance. Lithendel quickly backed away from the dark creature as the orc swung his sword. _This orc is more skillful then the others._ Lithendel thought, sizing up the orc as he looked for an opening. _He must be the leader of this group. And maybe this group is a part of the one that is attacking Imladris as well…_

The elf saw only one way to defeat this elf – with _Urya'dur_. His arrows were spent, and the twins couldn't get up right now. Taking a deep breath, Lithendel charged, going to the orc's right, away from Elladan and Elrohir. His opponent quickly loaded another arrow to this crossbow while growling at Lithendel, daring him to stand still for even a second.

Lithendel saw this, and a plan formed in his mind. Quickly, the elf stopped, facing the orc. _No time to second guess my plan now._

Without a second's lapse, the orc shot the arrow straight at Lithendel. Like before, the commander twisted around, and the arrow flew straight into the tree behind him. _Here goes nothing!_ In one fluid movement, Lithendel sheathed his sword and pulled out his bow, before yanking the black arrow out of the tree. The orc had no time to react before his own arrow was in his throat. Black blood spilled out as the dark creature fell to the ground, dying only seconds later.

Lithendel inhaled and exhaled deeply as he turned around and put a hand on the tree, whose leaves were rustling. _Forgive me, but I needed to defeat this orc quickly. Forgive me for using you as a prop in my plan._

The rustling grew more gentle, as a soft breeze blew through the once more alive forest. Lithendel thanked the tree before rushing back to the twins. During the fight, Elrohir had moved off of his brother, who was groaning every now and then.

"Elladan! Elladan! Come on brother, you must wake up now! The orcs are gone!" Elrohir pleaded, shaking his twin's shoulder slightly.

Elladan moaned as he finally opened his eyes. "Mm…what? What orcs?"

Elrohir sighed in relief. "Finally! It's about time you wake up!" He made a move to sit back on his knees before crying out in pain. He fell forward from the agony, but Lithendel caught him before he could fall right on Elladan.

"My lord! Your wound needs to be tended!" Lithendel said as he held the injured elf.

Elladan seemed more awake after that. "What! Elrohir, you're injured?"

Elrohir smiled slightly. "Um…only a little…"

The older twin gasped as he saw the arrow in his brother's back. "A little! There's an arrow in your back!"

Elrohir's small smile stayed on his face. "Really?"

Elladan growled at his twin's joke. "Yes, really! Lithendel and I are treating that wound right away!"

Lithendel lowered Elrohir to the ground on his stomach. While Lithendel was doing that, Elladan struggled to sit up. Suddenly, Elladan gasped as he noticed something and quickly sat straight up. He groaned for a moment as the world suddenly tilted, and everything seemed…a little…_different._ And as he struggled to make his eyes adjust, he felt something wet on his head. _But there's no time for that!_

Turning towards his brother, Elladan scolded, "You lied! There are _two_ arrows in your back!"

Elrohir and Lithendel gave each other a confused look before looking at the other elf. "What?" they asked simultaneously.

"You heard me! There are two arrows in your back! One right here," Elladan pointed at the black arrow protruding from Elrohir's back, "and here!" and the angered elf pointed at…

…thin air.

Elrohir tried to hold back his laughter as Lithendel couldn't help but smile slightly. "My lord, I think you have a concussion."

"A concussion! That's not possible! I don't get concussions!" Elladan fumed, crossing his arms.

Elrohir laughed slightly as he noticed something. "Yeah, your head only landed on a rock."

"What?!" Elladan looked back at the ground where his head used to lay. "Which rock did my head land on?"

Lithendel's small smile grew. "Please my lord, just lay down for now, away from the rock…s." he said, adding on the plural 's' to 'rock.'

Elladan's eyes widened at that, showing his two companions how dilated his eyes were. "I am perfectly capable of helping you with Elrohir's wound. Also, how did you get that wound, Elrohir? I didn't think that an orc could sneak up on you, noisy as they are," the elf asked, his eyes narrowing now.

Elrohir and Lithendel exchanged uneasy looks at those words, knowing that Elladan was likely to explode when they would tell him. Shifting uneasily, Lithendel coughed slightly before he straightened and walked away from the twins. "Well, I think I'll go get some herbs and blankets for you two," he said quickly, leaving Elrohir to explain.

Elrohir groaned inwardly as the commander hurriedly left. _Now he's left me to explain, just like Elladan did to Ada yesterday!_

Despite Lithendel's request to lay down, Elladan remained sitting up. And he was still giving Elrohir a withering look. "Well, brother? Are you going to answer or not?"

Elrohir could tell that Elladan would only except a straight answer. _He knows there's something more about the wound, plus if I don't answer, he'll never lay down! And that wont help either of us._

Even though a small voice was saying in the back of his mind, 'No! Don't do it!', Elrohir took a deep breath before saying," I took an arrow that was meant for you." He paused after this, waiting for the expected explosion.

He didn't have to wait long.

"YOU WHAT!?" Elladan bellowed, his eyes narrowing as his anger rose even more. Elrohir had to admit that his twin's expression looked a bit odd with the dilated pupils. _Don't smile, don't smile…_

"What were you doing, taking _any_ arrows for me?" Elladan shouted. "You didn't have to do that! Now you're hurt!"

"And so are you," Elrohir said, indicating the rock Elladan's head had landed on. With one quick glance, the older twin could see some of his own blood coating the top portion of the large, sharp rock, with little rivers or blood trailing down to the ground. _So that's what I felt on my head…_But then his attention immediately turned back to his injured brother. "My wound is not as serious as yours!" he argued.

Elrohir's patience wore thin as the pain from the arrow continued to shoot through his body and as Elladan continued to scold him. "Would you have rather let me just stand there and watch as you were killed?" he snapped. "Would _you_ have done that if I had been lying there?"

Elladan stopped talking as his brother's sharp words sunk in. _He's right…I would've done the exact same thing…_Suddenly ashamed for his words, he laid down, away from the rock as Lithendel had suggestion. "I am sorry brother. I shouldn't have said any of that. You're right, I would have done what you did." He turned his head toward his brother, his still dilated eyes full of sincere apology. "I am grateful for your love."

Elrohir smiled tiredly. "Anytime, brother."

- - - - - - - - - -

Lithendel smiled slightly as he overhead the heartfelt ending of the twins' conversation. _Was it really a _conversation _though?_ Lithendel thought, his smile growing as he quietly chuckled slightly.

After walking away from the twins, the commander had sought out the three horses, whistling as loudly as he dared to call them back. The three loyal horses came back quickly, nickering as they came. Lithendel had quickly led them back to where the twins were, just in time to hear Elladan apologize. Deciding that they were ready to be treated, he walked toward the sons of Elrond, calling out to them as he came closer.

The two injured elves slightly turned their heads in Lithendel's direction as he called. Lithendel led the horses close to the twins, before grabbing a medicine bag from Uial's saddle, as well as a waterskin and some blankets. Kneeling next to Elladan and Elrohir, he unpacked the various herbs from the bag. Quickly, he prepared a potion that would help Elladan's concussion, before going to the said elf and propping him up slightly.

"My lord, please, I need you to drink this," Lithendel asked. After Elladan nodded, Lithendel gave him the medicine in small portions, and after a few moments, the cup was empty. The elven commander put the cup down, and reached over for the blanket that he had grabbed. He slowly lowered Elladan's head onto the cloth, before realizing that his hand had come away from Elladan's head sticky with blood.

At Lithendel's exclamation of surprise, Elladan quickly said," Worry not about it Lithendel. Treat my brother now; and when this concussion is gone, I'll help you."

But at the commander's sharp glance at that statement, Elladan quickly amended with," Of course, I'll wait until you bandage my head." Lithendel nodded, satisfied.

Now, Lithendel stood back up, and moved over to Elrohir, carrying the medicine bag, waterskin, and the other blanket. He kneeled next to the younger twin, and got ready to begin the tedious process of treating Elrohir's wound.

- - - - - - - - - -

Meanwhile, the Last Homely House was unnaturally quiet. But something unnatural was happening.

Not too long ago, a scout had come back, saying that the orcs were just getting into range of the archers. Narentil told him to pass the message onto the leader of the archers, an elf named Aran. Now, the stand-in commander could hear the archers moving around, stringing their arrows and pulling out arrows.

Before, Narentil was calm in all of the chaos, but now that everybody was in place, a heavy silence fell over the soldiers, making Narentil shift uneasily as they waited for the orcs. _The tension is almost palpable._ Narentil thought, as he fidgeted slightly. He couldn't help but shiver when a cold breeze blew through the ranks of warriors, carrying a dark message. He heard the warriors suddenly freeze behind him, and he couldn't prevent his own sharp intake of breath.

_The orcs are here!_

Quickly, Narentil took out _Urya'dur_, signaling for the rest of the warriors to do so. Vaguely, he could remember Aragorn telling him of the special cloaks the orcs were wearing, after he informed Narentil of the missive sent to Mirkwood. _And that is why we couldn't sense them until now…_Taking a deep breath, he waited for the first orc to appear.

He didn't have to wait long.

The first wave of orcs came…but not from in front of the warriors…

…but from the sides.

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_**He he! Ha ha!  
**_**_Sorry, I couldn't help myself!  
_**_**Two groups of elves,  
**_**_One in haste,  
_**_**One in battle,  
**__**What will happen?  
**__**Only I can tell!**_

**That's a long ending poem…#sweatdrop#**

**#hides behind a magical barrier# Sorry, but like I said, I couldn't help myself! I got caught up in the moment…and then decided to put that twist in! What will the warrior elves do? #evil laughter# And what of the twins and Lithendel? And will Leggy ever get his voice back, even with the antidote? #more evil laughter#**

**But please forgive me for any choppy parts in this chapter…I wrote it at different times (the times were a bit spaced out…as can you can probably tell from my way overdue update), and even though I re-read it every time, I probably missed something…so please forgive me!**

**And, if I EVER take beyond two weeks to update, PM me! Don't hesitate! Say "D.D.Z., stop being so damn lazy and work on the next chapter!" Lol, or somethin' like that. I mean it, you don't have to hesitate. ;;**

**Also, I'm sorry I haven't replied to any reviewers lately…but I appreciate you sticking with me and my horrible updating! That lets me know that you really like this story, and inspires and drives me to continue! #big hugs# THANK YOU!!!!**

**Anywho…**

**Ciao for now!  
****D.D.Z.**


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